This petro-fabric is well-known from previous studies on pottery from the region, based on reference samples from the vicinity of the site and coastal sand samples to its west. Potters utilized this clay formula to create various amphora types, including Bichrome, Black on Red, and Late Roman 1. Production centers for these ceramics in southern Cyprus include sites such as Kalavasos, Maroni, Zygi-Petrini, Amathous, and others in the region. The group is attested from the Iron 8th c. BCE to the 7th c. CE.
This a Petrofabric family, which exhibits some mineralogical variability, has been identified as locally produced from Iron Age Amathous and other sites on the southeastern coast of Cyprus (Waiman-Barak et al., 2021). The production of these ceramics likely relied on the abundant rivers in the area, such as Pyrgos (Katouris) to the east and Amathous and Zygi-Petrini to the west. These rivers originate from the Troodos Massive Ophiolite Complex and traverse different litho-outcrops, including serpentines of the Limassol Forest, pillow lavas, and the calcareous Sedimentary Succession. The rivers are known to deposit alluvial sediments on the coastline of the Limassol Gulf, which are rich in large ophiolite sand grains, making them suitable sources of raw materials for ceramic production.
The main ancient sites in this region include the harbours of Maroni and Tochni-Lakkia, and slightly inland Kalavasos up the Pyrgos River. Clay and sand samples were collected from the Amathus and Maroni riverbeds. The sediment from Maroni is iron-rich, with angular silt-sized quartz grains and small laths of plagioclase and mica, along with larger brown and white micas (up to 2mm). Isotropic iron oxide inclusions are also frequent, often accompanied by weathered limestone and chalks, detrital igneous and metamorphic rock fragments, and minerals derived from them. The clay from Amathous is clayey and brown in PPL, with rare additional components, including iron oxides, foraminifera, and coarse basaltic sand. Near Kalavasos, the sand from the Amathous beach comprises very coarse, well-sorted sub-rounded grains (200–600μm) in various green, white, and black hues, primarily basaltic and including clinopyroxenes, olivines, feldspathoids, and hematite (up to 90%). Some eroded, rounded calcareous grains are also present, mainly limestone and foraminiferous chalk (~5%, up to 300μm).
Under XPL, the matrix of this group of ceramics appears green or red, respectively, and both variants are characterized by coarse basaltic sand, iron oxides, and calcareous inclusions. When low-fired, the calcareous variant appears loamy, optically active, and light brown in PPL, with foraminifera and some iron oxides. The inclusions consist of poorly sorted sub-angular feldspars, pyroxenes, hematite, biotite, and some eroded basalt fragments (~10%, up to 400μm). The five vessels were fired at high temperatures, causing the fabric to darken and lose its optical activity, and leading to the degradation of its calcareous components, which appear with reaction rims indicating the formation of new high-temperature minerals such as gehlenite.
This petro-fabric is well-known from previous studies on pottery from the region, based on reference samples from the vicinity of the site and coastal sand samples to its west. Potters utilized this clay formula to create various amphora types, including Bichrome, Black on Red, and Late Roman 1. Production centers for these ceramics in southern Cyprus include sites such as Kalavasos, Maroni,
ca. 1050 BCE - 300 BCE
Cypro-Geometric, Cypro-Archaic, Cypro-Classical
ca. 925/900 BCE - 300 BCE
Cypro-Geometric, Cypro-Archaic, Cypro-Classical
The Early Iron Age Cypro-Phoenician Interactions: A Study of the Tel Dor Cypro-Geometric Ceramic Imports project is directed Ayelet Gilboa from the University of Haifa and supported by the Israeli Science Foundation. The Typological of the Dor assemblage analysis and collection and preparation of the reference collection for analysis was done by Anna Georgiadou as part of a post-doctoral fellowship directed by Gilboa at the University of Haifa. The laboratory work was conducted at the Laboratory for materials in Archaeology, Group Head: Prof. Sariel Shalev, the department of Maritime Civilizations. The thin section was prepared by Golan Shalvi.
