General Information

An early to middle Hellenistic fine ware production from Cyprus. Similar in texture and range of inclusions to Cypriot Hellenistic red slip ware. The exact site(s) of production for this ware is unknown, but it is common at sites along the south coast of Cyprus, including Paphos (Hayes 1991:26-27, “standard early Hellenistic ware)” and Kition (Salles 1993:167-168, “Hellenistique chypriote"). In Israel it is most commonly found at sites along the coast and in the Jezreel Valley in contexts of the late 4th to early 2nd century BCE.

Hard, compact light reddish brown (5YR 6/3-5YR 5/4), slightly granular with occasional to frequent rounded and subangular white or pale yellow inclusions, occasional small rounded voids. Surfaces coated with a smooth matte or semi lustrous slip fired dark red brown to purple brown, often irregularly applied to exterior. Vessels are usually fully fired, thicker walled vessels sometimes have a light grey core (5YR 6/1). This fabric is visually identical to Late Classical and Hellenistic vessels found in abundance at sites on Cyprus from Paphos in the southwest to Kition in the southeast, suggesting that it was produced on the island.

Paphos/Nea Paphos (Cyprus/Western South Coast)

Gezer (Israel/Shephelah)

Horbat Zefat 'Adi (Israel/Northern Coastal Plain)

Maresha/Marisa (Israel/Shephelah)

Qedesh/Kedesh (Israel/Galilee)

Kinet Höyük (Turkey/Eastern Mediterranean)