General Information

Fine Byzantine Ware (FBW), also known as Fine Palestinian Ware (FPW), refers to a series of refined, semi-luxurious ceramic vessels produced by potters in the Jerusalem region, beginning in the sixth century CE and continuing through the Abbasid period. The majority of forms are open vessels for dining and drinking, such as cups, bowls, and plates, or table service, such as jugs and table jars. FBW vessels are distinguished by their fabric and surface treatment. Some of the cups and small bowls are decorated with one or two incised wavy lines on the exterior, while many of the closed vessels have incised 'gashes' or 'nicks' on the shoulder. In the early Islamic period, potters also sometimes produced vessels with colorful painted scenes, such as two lovely vessels from Nes Ziyyona. The continuation of FBW into the early Islamic period led Alan Walmsley to suggest renaming the ware Fine Palestinian Ware to avoid chronological confusion, although to date the original name remains in use even for vessels made later than the Byzantine period.

The name FBW was originally coined by Mordechai Gichon, based on his study of these vessels from the site of 'En Boqeq on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Jodi Magness later provided a detailed typology and chronology based on her study of material from Jerusalem. According to Magness, the evidence from the City of David and Jewish Quarter suggests that FBW appeared in Jerusalem around the middle of the sixth century and continued well into the early Islamic period (eighth to tenth centuries), though the forms and decoration changed. During the first half of the eighth century, the production of closed vessels of this ware ceased, while the repertoire of open vessels was expanded to include a wide variety of shallow dishes and plates. In many cases, the walls of the early Islamic vessels are thinner and more delicate than was usual during the sixth and seventh centuries. Painting seems to have replaced incision as an occasional decoration during the first half of the eighth century. Whereas the small bowls and cups of the sixth to seventh centuries have low ring bases (Forms 1A-B), those of the eighth to tenth centuries have rounded or flat bases (Forms 1D-F), and sometimes very deep, hemispherical bodies (Form 1E).

FBW/FPW seems to be an especially refined version of the longer-lived and widespread Byzantine-Islamic Geometric Painted Ware (BIGPW). BIGPW vessels have a wider range of decoration, often fairly cursory; in contrast to the more careful and even elaborate FBW/FPW vessels.   

Petrographic analysis of the bowls from Nes Ziyyona indicated that they were produced from Motza marl, a formation of the Jerusalem area. 

*This summary is from Jodi Magness's book Jerusalem Ceramic Chronology: Circa 200-800 CE, JSOT 1993, pp. 193 and Itamar Taxel, Ayala Lester, and Uzi 'Ad: "Two Rare Early Abbasid Paint-Decorated Ceramic Bowls from El-Khirba/Nes Ziyyona, Israel" (Muqarnas 35, 2018), pp. 274-275.

Vessels have thin walls, are hard-fired, and are usually light brown (7.5YR7/6), orange-brown (5YR6/6 to 5YR7/6) or light orange (2.5YR6/8) at the surfaces. There is often a grey or light grey core. Many of the open and closed vessels have burnished bands on the exterior, which are sometimes not continuous.

Fine Palestinian Ware

Mezad Yerouham (Israel/Negev)

El-Khirba, Nes Ziyyona (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Southern Coastal Plain)

Jerusalem, Old City/East Jerusalem (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Central Highlands)

Ramat Rahel (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Central Highlands)

Humayma (Jordan/Aqaba Highlands)

Jerash/Gerasa (Jordan/Northern Highlands)

Khirbat al-Dharih (Jordan/Southern Sandstone Highlands)

Pella/Fiḥl (Jordan/Jordan Valley)