Pottery à la mode in the Late Punic world: Production of red-slip ‘Kuass ware’ in Málaga, Spain (2nd-1st c. BC)

Abstract

Recent archaeological excavations in Málaga city, in southern Spain, uncovered a Late Punic pottery workshop (2nd-1st c. BC) in association with a large assemblage of red-slip tablewares ascribed to the so-called ‘Kuass ware’. These wares, which were very widespread in the Western Punic world, are known to have been produced mainly in the area of Cádiz. However, the macroscopic features of the examples found in Málaga together with their association with a probable kiln site suggests the existence of a local production, not reported before. This hypothesis is examined in the present paper through a science-based approach, which involved the analysis of 20 samples of ‘Kuass ware’ from Málaga through a combination of thin section petrography and elemental analysis by WD-XRF. Results were compared to those of reference samples of ‘Kuass ware’ from the Bay of Cádiz ―their main production area― as well as to geological samples of clays and sands from the surroundings of the site in Málaga, and to previously published data for Punic amphorae from Málaga. The analytical results support the hypothesis of a local production, effectively confirming the first instance of ‘Kuass ware’ production in the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia, and provide reference data for ‘Kuass ware’ from the Late Punic city of ‘Malaka’.