Recipient Dr. Eleni Zimi (Oxford)
Date 01 December, 2020
Amount £2300 (Pilot Project Award)
Summary This project proposes a programme for clay fabric analysis on the difficult-to-provenance undecorated black-glazed pots, the most prolific group of fine wares at Euesperides, aiming to:

* scientifically confirm the macroscopically – based on typology and fabric - identified imports: groups of Athenian, Corinthian and “Aegean” fine wares, and determine origins for the sub-groups of the latter (i.e. the north and south Aegean islands, the coast of Asia Minor),

* characterise the clays of fine wares identified as local or regional (Cyrenaican) and compare their qualities and technology against the coarseware from the site, building upon the research of Keith Swift on the latter,

* create a clay fabric database for imported and regionally made pottery in Cyrenaica which will facilitate the identification of relevant material from other sites in the region (e.g. Cyrene, Tocra, Ptolemais), Tripolitania and the wider north Africa (e.g. Carthage and its environs) where Cyrenaican pottery has very likely travelled.