archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, eastern ''sigillata'' A (ESA) is a category of late Hellenistic and early Roman ''

terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips made in specific areas of t ...

''. In 1957, Kathleen Kenyon introduced categories A, B, C, to classify eastern ''sigillata'' without determining the exact place of manufacture. and Crowfoot, J. W., Crowfoot, G. M. H., Kenyon, K. M., & Palestine Exploration Fund. (1957). ''The objects from Samaria''. London: Palestine Exploration Fund. For ESA, still no production centers have been identified but distribution patterns suggest an origin in northern Syria. ESA is distinguished by the fineness of its fabric, which stands out as very pale in comparison to the deep red-slip that usually covers all surfaces. When fully applied, the slip is of a consistent color and thickness across the vessel. There are many examples on which the thickness of the slip varies considerably or on which firing is inconsistent and very dark in patches. A full range of plates, bowls, cups and jugs was produced. Early forms develop in the context of an eastern Mediterranean Hellenistic

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

, while later products are influenced by trends originating in Italian workshops. Many ESA forms are mold-made and exhibit distinct delineation between walls and floors as well as elegantly curved exterior and base profiles. A further technical feature is the frequent occurrence of a "double-dipping streak" that is the result of, first, one half of a vessel being dipped in dilute

slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

and then the other half being similarly treated. The consequent overlap produced a line of thicker slip that became visibly darker during firing.

See also

References

Further reading