Had to eat crow after arguing with a guy from the UK dig site about Roman pottery

I always thought those gray-buff terracotta shards were just basic Roman kitchen stuff. Been saying it on here for months. Then this guy posts high-res photos of a rim fragment from a site near Gloucester, shows me how the slip is actually a specific local clay formula they only used for like 30 years. Changed my whole view on what's worth keeping vs discarding during sorting. Any of you ever get humbled by a regional pottery expert?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_thomas166d ago

Gloucester guy definitely knows his stuff. That specific local clay formula thing is wild to me. Makes you realize how much regional variation gets lost when you just lump everything into "Roman pottery." I learned the hard way with some Samian ware stamps a few years back. Thought I had a rare piece, turned out to be a common Gaulish copy. That guy set me straight with a single photo of the stamp pattern.

lily_stone765d ago

Oh same here, totally been there. Bought what I thought was a legit late Roman coin off eBay years ago, got all excited until someone on a forum pointed out the reverse was totally wrong for that emperor. Sometimes you just need one sharp eye to save you from yourself.