This is the common ware used for cooking vessels in the Shephelah and in the Central Hills of Israel in the Persian and Hellenistic periods. The texture of this ware is gritty; vessels feel sandy, and they are hard and well-fired. They vary in clay colour between grey and dark red. The surface is fired to a grey, dark red, sometimes very dark red-purple. Vessels were finished on the wheel.
The ware is characterised by visible white flecked chalk voids, and poor surface treatment, sloppy smoothing was done when the clay was still wet.
The ware is associated with two petrofabrics. Israel-shephelah-fer...
The fabric is quite clean, with some small inclusions. The color ranges from dark grey to red-brown. Most vessels have a thick grey core. Surfaces are smooth and a little bit gritty.
