Nicholas Hudson

Large deposits of domestic pottery from primary contexts in Ptolemaic Lower Egypt are uncommon and seldom presented in their entirety. This article presents four primary deposits from the destruction level of a late third/early second-century structure at Tell el-Timai in the Nile Delta (ancient Thmuis). The architectural setting for the deposits is presented, followed by presentations of each deposit in its entirety, organized by functional classifications. Analyses of the deposits are then used to suggest behavioral possibilities, with particular attention to bread baking and drinking activities. This is followed by a discussion of the nature of the total assemblage within the context of Egyptian pottery studies and an explication of how the assemblage can be understood as part of the broader region of the Levant during the Hellenistic period.

Studies of the Roman convivium have traditionally focused ont he literary, artistic, and architectural evidence of the event. As such, our understanding of Roman dining is biased toward an elite population that provides the bulk of such information. Missing from the discussion is a materials-based approach whereby the utensils of dining provide information on the mechanics of social meals. Here I present an analysis of 12 Roman table assemblages that identifies patterns of vessel groups to which I apply functional possibilities informed by literary and artistic evidence. The results of the analysis are contextualized using primary literary, artistic, and architectural evidence from which interpretations of dining behavior are offered. Two divergent traditions of dining are identified. One, which I call status dining, confirms the established model of Roman dining, which is centered on individual service so that status boundaries are maintained at the table. The other emphasizes group service through the use of shared vessels, introducing a new style of dining in the Roman world that I call convivial dining. The dining models are placed in their historical and social contexts, and an argument is made for the emergence of convivial dining as a response to a decreasing social identity among the Late Roman sub-elite after the third century and the growth of Christianity in the fourth century.

A large mound of pottery sherds was exposed on the northern slope of the hill on which Khirbat el-Hawarit is located. Excavation of the mound revealed that it contained the debris of a workshop: vessels broken during the firing process, kiln ash and bricks. Although only fragmentary walls were unearthed, precluding the reconstruction of any building, the dump in itself is sufficient to identify the site as the main pottery production center of Mount Hermon, Banias and the northern Golan region during the Late Roman–Byzantine periods. Two distinct wares were found: Golan ware (late Hellenistic–late Byzantine periods) and Khirbat el-Hawarit cooking ware (early third–mid-fifth centuries CE). A third ware, termed Banias ware, was also found. The operation of these production centers and their cessation strongly reflect the political shifting in the area.