Galilean Hellenistic Tan-Gray marl ware
Israel/Galilee
2nd - 1st centuries BCE
Late Hellenistic
General Information
Tan-gray marl ware is a product of the Galilee. It is a fairly clean, well-levigated fabric primarily used to make utility vessels such as jugs and small jars; also attested in this ware are small bowls, juglets, and flasks. Its defining petrographic characteristic is the presence of taqiya marl, which is found all over the Mediterranean including the eastern Upper Galilee plateau. It is first attested in the middle of the second century BCE at Khirbet el-'Eika, in the Lower Galilee, and c. 130-120 BCE at Tel Kedesh, in the Upper Galilee (Stone 2012, pp. 338-339)
Moderately soft fabric with few inclusions visible to the naked eye and occasional rounded voids. Usually fired a tan or pinkish color on the surface (5YR 6/4-5YR 7/4) with a broad, gray core that fades out gently (5YR 5/1-7.5YR 5/1).
