General Information

The family of Western Asia Minor (WAM) Black Slip wares includes vessels from many producers along the Ionian coast - and probably also some of the nearby islands in the eastern Aegean. The time span for these productions is long, beginning in the Archaic era, and continuing down into the 2nd, and perhaps in some cases into the early-mid 1st c. BCE.

Although vessels of the WAM black slip ware family were made in many different localities, they share many characteristics. All are for table use: cups and bowls, saucers and plates, olpai, and sometimes also very small bowls (salters). All carry a thin black slip, ranging from matte to shiny, sometime covering the entire vessel inside and out, sometimes covering only a portion of the exterior and/or interior. Finally, these vessels were made of locally available clays, which could range from quite fine to somewhat gritty. It seems likely that these vessels were made in small workshops and intended to satisfy local household demands. 

The forms of WAM black slip ware vessels are generally very similar to those of Attic black glaze pottery, and it is probable that potters modeled their output on the Attic versions. Yet the family of WAM black slip ware should be differentiated from Atticizing wares, which comprise very deliberate "copy-cat" versions of Attic black glaze pottery. In contrast, WAM black slip wares are casual products, often not too carefully made. They follow the spirit of Attic table ware, but do not pretend to imitate it.

The fabric of WAM black slip ware vessels varies, as they are the products of many local workshops. In general the fabric of these modest tablewares will be similar to that of the standard  household pottery of a given place, whether that is light brownish buff, pale yellow, pinkish brown, etc. Vessels carry a thin slip, ranging in color from black to brownish black, sometimes firing to reddish brown.

'Akko, Harbor (Israel/Northern Coastal Plain)

Mazor (Israel/Central Coastal Plain)

Qedesh/Kedesh (Israel/Galilee)

Jerusalem, City of David/Ophel (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Central Highlands)

Antioch/Antakya (Turkey/Eastern Mediterranean)

Sardis (Turkey/Aegean)