“With a little help from my wheel”: wheel-coiled pottery in Protogeometric Greece

Štěpán Rückl & Loe Jacobs Hesperia 85.2 (2016): 297-321

Abstract

In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in central Greece. Contrary to the established notion that wheel-throwing was the exclusive technique used to produce Protogeometric fine-ware pottery, we argue that at least part of this ceramic category was not wheel-thrown but wheel-coiled. Informed by a macroscopic study of surface and breakage features, as well as the results of our experimental project, we present the evidence for Protogeometric wheel-coiling based on three assemblages from the sites of Mitrou, Halos, and Lefkandi. The potential significance of our findings for understanding ceramic production in Early Iron Age Greece is pointed out and possible directions for further research are suggested.