CORINTH AND THE OTHERS: THE GREEK POTTERY OF THE 8TH CENTURY FROM SALENTO TO THE IONIAN COAST OF SOUTHERN ITALY

The presence and distribution of Greek products in southern Italy and Sicily during the 8th cent. is, as is known, directly linked to the analysis and interpretation of broader and more complex phenomena, not only related to exchange and commercial relations . Indeed, it is well known that the gulf of Taranto and the Ionian coast of Calabria hosted, in close sequence and in a tight span of time, the foundations of at least five Greek apoikiai during the last decades of the 8th cent., while in the same period some other settlements, of a “mixed” nature, are also documented in the same areas. This paper deals with the second part of the story, that of Greek imports, and related productions, along the actual regions of Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria/Ionian coast of southern Italy during the 8th cent. The aim is to provide an updated overview of the status quaestionis, and of our knowledge of it, in the light of the role that the areas considered played during the “colonization” processes . Corinthian imports will be presented and analysed in terms of chronology, shapes and types of the vases; functions, where discernible. I will then propose an overview of the imports from other centers, mainly Euboean, and of local productions inspired by or related to Greek ones. Finally, some general remarks based on the comparison of the data. It is important to stress that only in very few cases are detailed publications available for each site considered site in each phase/period are available. As we shall see, data are often grouped together for large periods or presented in a provisional form.