Brittle Ware is a general name for hard, thin-walled cooking vessels characteristic of sites in Syria and along the Middle Euphrates from the early Roman through the Byzantine period. Brittle ware vessels were made from terra rosa and alluvial clays, which fired to a dark red or black color. Vessels were made on a fast wheel, with thin, corrugated walls and burnished surfaces. Three main shapes were produced: a deep cooking pot with a narrow mouth, a wide-bodied casserole, and a jug, probably used for heating water. Large scale manufacture of these utilitarian shapes occurred at several locales in northwestern Syria and seem then to have been distributed further inland (Vokaer 2010a, 2010b, 2011, 2013, 2014). Petrographic analyses hav...
In the Roman period, Brittle Ware can be divided in 3 main fabrics, corresponding to 3 workshops (Group 1, 3 and 4) (see petrography). Group 1: the fabric is characterised by iron-rich clay with abundant sand, firing red (Munsell 2.5 YR 5/6 to 4/6), red-brown (Munsell 2.5 YR 4/4 to 4/6 or 4/2) or grey-black (Munsell 2.5 YN 3). The porosity is high and elongated in shape. The main inclusions are clear quartz of two size ranges. Group 3: the fabric is characterised by relatively iron-rich cl...
