Hellenistic Pottery: Athenian and Imported Moldmade Bowls (Athenian Agora vol. 22)

THE

AGORA ATHENIAN RESULTSOF EXCAVATIONS CONDUCTEDBY

THE AMERICANSCHOOLOF CLASSICALSTUDIESAT ATHENS

VOLUMEXXII

POTFERY HELLENISTIC ATHENIAN

AND

IMPORTED

MOLDMADE BOWLS BY

SUSAN I. ROTROFF

THE AMERICANSCHOOLOF CLASSICALSTUDIESAT ATHENS NEWJERSEY PRINCETON, 1982

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Libraryof Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Rotroff, Susan I Hellenistic pottery.

1947-

(The Athenian Agora; v. 22) Bibliography:p. Includes index. 1. Athens-Antiquities. 2. Pottery, Hellenistic-Greece, Modemrn-Athens.3. Greece, Modemrn-Antiquities.4. Athens. Agora. I. Title. I. Series:AmericanSchool of ClassicalStudies in Athens. Athenian Agora; v. 22.

DF287.A23A5 vol. 22

938.5s[938.5] 80-23055

ISBN 0-87661-222-2

PRINTED IN GERMANY at J. J. AUGUSTIN, GLUCKSTADT

FOR MY PARENTS who gave me opportunityand encouragement AND FOR

DOROTHYBURR THOMPSON who initiatedme into the mysteriesof the Hellenisticworld

PREFACE

So wroteR M. Cookin 1960(GreekPainted CCT ellenisticpotteryhasbeen neglected,anddeservedly." ILi Pottety,p.203).Whenviewedin the lightof the Classicalmasterpieces,Hellenisticceramicsmay seem to have little to offer.Pottinghad becomea tradeoften pursuedby an indifferentcraftsman;the proportionof ill-centered,ungainly,and poorlyfiredpots is large.But thereis still muchthatHellenistic potterycan offer, to the archaeologist,certainly,and perhapseven to the art historian. frameHellenisticpotterycanprovidewhatanypotteryprovides:a chronological For the archaeologist for the work.Even the meanestfragmentmay serveto datea significantbuildingor deposit.Fortunately there in is in has been interest Hellenistic no recent increased years pottery archaeologist, longerneglected; Severalvolumeshaveappearedandmore the Hellenisticceramicsof manysitesaroundtheMediterranean. are expectedsoon. Whatcan Hellenisticpotteryofferto the art historian?The type of potterypresentedin this volume representsthe firstlarge-scaleapplicationof the mold processto the productionof Greektableware.The mold techniquehad earlierbeen appliedto terracotta figurinesandin a few instanceswasused to produce pots of unusualdesign.Mostpottery,however,continuedto be wheelmadeandit was not untilthe introductionof the so-calledMegarianbowlthatmoldswereused on a largescale.Thesebowlsthereforestand successorsas at the beginningof a long seriesof moldmadeceramics,whichincludessuch distinguished Arretineand Wedgwoodpottery. These vesselsalso representthe firstGreekexperimentin modularart.A limitednumberof motifs, most of them stampedinto the moldswith small,re-usablemasters,reappearin countlessarrangements Thismodularapproachto the decorationof the surfaceof the bowlis a comment,albeit andcombinations. to the technoloof the workof the artist/artisan a naiveandprobablyunintentional one, on the relationship majorart,the redefinitionof humanpossibilities gy of massproduction.It reflects,as does contemporary of political,ideological,andartisticboundariesin the Hellenisticage.It is thatcamewiththe disintegration a commentthathas been echoedmoreself-consciously by manyartistsin our own century;viewedin the context of the art of the AmericanSixties, the bowls have a peculiarmodernity. This book grewout of an interestin the Hellenisticworldkindledand encouragedby DorothyBurr the fabricof antiquityfromthe Thompson.Herlove forHellenisticminorartsandherabilityto reconstruct portionhave inspiredtwo generationsof studentsand scrapsand remnantsthat are the archaeologist's scholars.The dedicationof this volumeto her is my inadequateexpressionof gratitude,respect,andlove for her as a teacher,a scholar,and an individual. The presentstudyis concernedwith only a smallpartof the Hellenisticpotteryfoundin the Ancient fromthe late 3rdto the bowlswhichweremanufactured Agoraof Athens:the moldmadehemispherical early1stcenturybeforeChrist.It is intendedas thefirstof twovolumes,the secondandlargerof whichwill be devotedto the Hellenisticwheelmadepotteryfromthe Agora.I havereliedheavilyforformaton Agora XII, which dealswith the Archaicand Classicalblackand plainpottery.I also owe much to G. Roger Edwardsand his fine volumeon CorinthianHellenisticpottery.Edwardsdevotedyearsof studyto Athe-

viii

PREFACE

and notesaccumumnian Hellenisticpotteryas well, and generouslyturnedoverto me manyphotographs lated in the course of those researches. andHomerA. Thompson, I wouldlike to thankT. LeslieShear,Jr.,Directorof the AgoraExcavations, formerDirectorof the excavations,for permissionto studyandpublishthe material;bothhavereadand rereadthe manuscriptin severaldifferentdrafts,and it has benefitedgreatlyfrom theirmany helpful commentsand suggestions.My debt to HomerThompsonis especiallygreat,for his publicationof the Hellenisticpotteryfoundin the earlyyearsof excavationin the Agorapavedthe wayforthis volume;his Invaluable havebeen a sourceof comfortandinspiration. interest,suggestions,andwarmencouragement help was givenby VirginiaGrace,who contributedmanyhoursof her time in patientexplanationof the chronologyof the stampedamphorahandles;andby FredKleiner,JohnKroll,andAlanWalker,whogave William freelyof theiradviceon numismaticmatters.Thanksarealso due JudithBinder,PeterCallaghan, H. A. W. Habicht, Ulrich A. Childs,C. J. Eliot, Christian Hausmann, Shapiro,ShelleyStone,John S. theirexpertiseandassistanceon scholarlyproblems. Traill,andMalcolmWallace,all of whomcontributed for allowingand assistingme to see the I am gratefulto CharlesK Williams,II and Nancy Boodkidis Hellenisticpotteryat Corinth;to Hugh Sackettfor permissionto examinemoldmadebowlsat Knossos; and to James R McCrediefor the opportunityto look at Hellenisticmaterialon Samothrace. of the Mostof the researchwasconductedin Athens,andI wouldliketo thankNancyWinter,Librarian BlegenLibraryof the AmericanSchoolof ClassicalStudies.I am also gratefulto RuthMacDonaldof the RalphPickardBell Libraryat MountAllisonUniversityfor her tirelesseffortsto obtainobscurepublicaloan system. tions throughthe interlibrary WhenI beganmy workon the moldmadebowls,I foundin the Agorafilesmanyfine drawingswhich andPiet de Jong;thesehavebeen supplementedwith had been done overthe yearsby IroAthanasiadou work. additionaldrawingsby Helen Besi and AbigailCamp,to whomI am gratefulfor theirpainstaking be for the and floral held of molds of conventional cannot, profiles drawings They responsible however, motifsandcharacteristic stampsof variousworkshops,whicharethe workof the author.Thanksto William of the B. Dinsmoor,Jr.,who drewit, PlanA representsthe most completeand accuratereconstruction HellenisticAgorapublishedto date.EugeneVanderpool,Jr. and Alan Walkertook new photographsof manyof the objectsin the Catalogue.NikosRestakis,withthe assistanceof KyriakiMoustaki,developed and printedthe photographs. forherassistancein amassSecretaryof the AgoraExcavations, Specialthanksare due LucyKrystallis, and to SpyrosSpyropoulos, mender,finderof misplacedpottery,and ingeniousartiing the photographs, I am indebtedto to this studyandto the Agorain generalis beyonddescription. ficer,whosecontribution ChristineEmbreeandLynnA. Grantfortypingand editorialassistance,andto A. R Lockandthe CanadianWildlifeServiceforthe loanof HerMajesty'sloyalpapercutter.I am especiallygratefulto MarianH. McAllister,the editor,forthe thoughtandcareshe has devotedto thisvolume,andforthe manyimprovements she has suggested. Researchwassupportedin partby the SocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilof Canadaand the SamuelH. KressFoundation;I am gratefulfor their generosity. Wordsareinadequateto expressmy gratitudeto RobertLamberton, my friendandcolleague,foreverythingfromeditorialassistanceandadviceon botanicalterminologyto meditationson the relevanceof the objectspresentedhereto the modernworld,and,mostof all, forhis sustainingandlovingsupportandpatience.And finally,I thankmy parents,to whomthis volumeis in partdedicated,andwithoutwhom,for reasonsbeyond number,it would not have been written. MOUNT ALLISON UNIVERSITY

NEWBRUNSWICK SACKVILLE,

1979 SEPTEMBER,

SUSANI. ROTROFF

TABLE OF CON'ENTS PREFACE ...............................................................................................

vii

LIST OF PLATES .......................................................................................

xi xiii

ABBREVIATIONSAND BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... SCOPE ANDAIMS

..................................................................................

1 1

ARRANGEMENT OF THE CATALOGUE ..............................................................

1

....................................................................................... C HRONOLOGY

2 2 3

.................................................................................... N OM ENCLATURE ...................................................................................... TERM INOLOGY TECHNIQUE OF M ANUFACTURE .................................................................... THE ORIGINS OF THE ATHENIAN MOLDMADE BOWL ................................................ P ROTOTYPES ........................................................................................

EVIDENCE ...................................................................... A RCHAEOLOGICAL

EVIDENCE ............................................................................. HISTORICAL ............................................................................... THE AGORAMATERIAL OF ATHENIANBOLS ..................................................... THE CHARACTERISTICS CLAY AND GLAZE .............................................................................. SHAPEAND SIZE ................................................................................ SCRAPEDGROOVESAND MILTOS................................................................. PINE-CONE, IMBRICATE,FLORAL, AND FIGURED BOWLS ............. PINE-CONE BOWLS ......................................................................

.....................................

3 6 6 9

11 14 14 14 14 15 15 16

LS .............................................................................. BOW IMBRICATE BO LS .................................................................................. FLORAL BOW LS ................................................................................ FIGURED ........................................................... DECORATION TYPESOF FIGURED

16

FIGURES DERIVED FROM TERRACOTTAALTARS ............................................

20

ABDUCTIONS................................................................................. ...................................................................... OF HERAKLES LABORS

21

LABORSOF THESEUS ........................................................................

23

STAMPS ....................................................................... UNIDENTIFIED RELIEFMEDALLIONS ................................................................. INTERIOR ..................................................................................... WORKSHOPS

17

19 19

23 24 24 25

ATTRIBUTIONS......................................................................

25

............................................................................ THE WORKSHOPS

26

HAUSMANN'S WORKSHOP.................................................................

26 27

A ............................................................................ WORKSHOP

28

W ORKSHOPOF BION .....................................................................

COINS

~~~~~~~~~~~~94

TTABLEOF CONTENTS

x

29 30 30 30 31

CLASS.................................................................... M MONOGRAM .. ........ CLASS1 ........................................................................ ................................ ... ........ CLASS2 ....................................... . ............................. CLASS3 .................................................... .............. OF SHOPS......................................................... LOCATION

31

......................................................

TYPESOF ITEMSMANUFACTURED....

................................................................................. .. CHRONOLOGY ................ BOwLS.......................................*.....*.................. LONG-PETAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INS ................................. ORIG ................................................................................... CHRONOLOGY ..................................

END OF MANUFACTURE......................................

BOwLSIN THEAGORA................................... LONG-PETAL ................................................ OF APOLLODOROS WORKSHOP

32 34 34 35 36 36 37

OTHER TYPESOF MOLDMADE BOWLS................................*.........................

37

BOWLS...................................................... LOTUS-COROLLA BOWLS.............................................. CONCENTRIC-SEMICIRCLE LS ........................................................................... BOW N ET-PATTERN

37 38 39

39

DAISYBOWLs................................................................................... .......................................... OTHERTYPESOF MOLDMADEPOTTERY ............

............

................................................. INSCRIPTIONS

39 40

...........*

40 41 W42

.............................. ................................. SIGNATURES ....................................................... ONMOLDS MONOGRAMS ....................................o........................ BOWLS IMPORTED

44

4..................................................................... C ATALOGUE

4................................. INTRODUCTION

44

..........

......................................

44

TERMINOLOGYAND CONVENTIONS .............................................................

44 45

..................................*....................................... DATESANDCONTEXTS ..... .......................................................... THECATALOGUE

94 94

............. ............... .............. ................ 9................................ D EPOSITS ....................................................... ............................... INTRODUCTION HANDLES................................................................. AMPHORA STAMPED

4 94

C OINS ...........................................................................................

. ...... .................................. 9........................................... DATES ............................................................. ANDCONVENTIONS TERMINOLOGY ................... ..................... .................................... SUMMARIES DEPOSIT

95 96 96

...............107 APPENDIX: REVISED CHRONOLOGYOF PUBLISHED ATHENIAN HELLENISTICGROUPS

107

A-E1.................................................................... THE AGORA:GROUPS WELL B-1 ................................1.......................... DIPYLON THE KERAMEIKOS:

1......................................................... CISTERN THEPIRAEUS THEPIRAEUS: ...................... ...................I.. CONCORDANCE 1................................................................... INDICES PLATES

......................

.................

.......................

110 . III11 .

113

.

120

LIST

OF

PLATES

Photographs 1 Pine-coneBowls 2 Pine-coneBowls and Molds 3-6 ImbricateBowls 7 ImbricateBowls and Molds 8 ImbricateMolds. FloralBowls 9-13 FloralBowls 14 FloralBowls and Molds 15 FloralBowls with Figures 16 FloralBowl with Figures.FiguredBowls (Idyllic) 17-33 FiguredBowls (Idyllic) 34 FiguredBowls (Idyllicand Mythological:Herakles) 35 FiguredBowls (Mythological: Theseus,Odysseus) 36 FiguredBowl (Mythological:Rape of Persephone) 37 FiguredBowls (Mythological: Rape of Persephone,Rape of Europa) 38 FiguredBowls (Mythological: Rape of Ganymede) Prokne?Opheltes?Heraklesand Auge) 39,40 FiguredBowls (Mythological: 41,42 FiguredBowls (Mythological:Dionysiactrio) 43-45 FiguredBowls (Mythological) 46-53 FiguredBowls (Hunting) 54 FiguredBowls (Hunting)and Molds 55 FiguredMolds. Fragmentsof Bowls (Imbricate,Floralor Figured) 56 Fragmentsof Bowls and Molds (Imbricate,Floralor Figured) 57 Fragmentsof Molds (Imbricate,Floralor Figured) 58 Fragmentsof Molds. Long-petalBowls, Plain 59,60 Long-petalBowls, Plain 61 Long-petalBowls, Jeweled 62 Long-petalBowls, Jeweledand Variants 63 Long-petalMolds, Plain 64 Long-petalMolds. Lotus-corollaBowls 65 Lotus-corollaBowl and Mold. Daisy Bowl. ImportedBowls (Imbricateand Floral) 66 ImportedBowls (Floraland Figured) 67 ImportedBowls (Figured)and Fragments(Imbricate,Floralor Figured) 68 ImportedBowls (Long-petaland Concentric-semicircle) 69 ImportedBowls (Net-pattern).RelatedMoldmadeVessels 70 MoldmadeWest Slope Amphora 71 MoldmadeWest Slope Krater 72 Tools used in the Manufactureof MoldmadeBowls

xii

LIST OF PLATES

Drawings 73 Pine-cone,Imbricate,and FloralBowls 74 Floraland FiguredBowls 75-86 FiguredBowls 87 Long-petaland ImportedBowls (Imbricateand Floral) 88 ImportedBowls (Floral,Figuredand Long-petal) 89 ImportedBowls (Concentric-semicircle and Net-pattern).RelatedMoldmadeVessels 90,91 RelatedMoldmadeVessels 92 Representative Profilesof Bowls Profilesof Molds 93 Representative FloralMotifson Bowls.MotifsfromBowlsof the MMonogramClassandClasses1-3 94 Conventional 95 Monogramson Molds and Signatureson Bowls 96 Signatureson Lotus-corollaBowls 97 Signatureson Net-patternBowl and MoldmadeGuttus 98 MotifsfromBowlsProducedby Hausmann'sWorkshop,WorkshopA andthe Workshopof Bion 99 Plan of the AthenianAgora in the SecondCenturyB.C., with Locationsof Deposits

AND ABBREVIATIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adriani = A. Adriani, "Un vetro dorato alessandrinodal Caucaso,"Bulletin de la Societe Archeologique

d'Alexandrie 42, 1967, pp. 105-127 Agora = TheAthenianAgora:Resultsof ExcavationsConductedby the AmericanSchool of ClassicalStudies at Athens Agora IV - R H. Howland, Greek Lamps and their Survivals,Princeton 1958 Agora V = H. S. Robinson, Pottery of the Roman Period, Chronology,Princeton 1959 Agora VII J. Perlzweig (Binder), Lamps of the Roman Period, First to Seventh Centuryafter Christ,

Princeton1961 Agora X = M. Lang and M. Crosby, Weights, Measures and Tokens, Princeton 1964 Agora XII = B. A. Sparkesand L. Talcott, Black and Plain Pottery of the 6th, 5th, and 4th Centuries

B.C., Princeton1970 Agora XIV = H. A. Thompson and R. E. Wycherley, The Agora of Athens, Princeton 1972 AJA = American Journal of Archaeology AJP = American Journal of Philology 23: '056? "OO&voq4*, AeAT21, B', 1966 Andreiomenou,A.,