Central Mediterranean Phoenician pottery imports in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Over recent years, there has been a growing interest in the analytical investigation of Phoenician pottery recovered from sites in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula). Studies which integrate mineralogical, chemical and microstructural analysis have been carried out at seven sites in the Ilercavonia and Cossetania areas, analysing a total of 123 ceramic samples. The characterization of these samples has confirmed the presence of Phoenician Central Mediterranean pottery, all in the form of tableware. Themain objectives of this paper are to determine the provenance of these products, to study theirmineralogical characteristics and to understand the consumption of this Phoenician Central Mediterranean pottery in the context of the sites of Ilercavonia and Cossetania. All individuals have been analysed by means of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), with selected samples analysed by means of thin-section petrography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of this study demonstrate the presence of Sicilian, Sardinian and Tunisian products, allowing us to see preferences of vessel types according to source.