General Information

Provincial Anatolian "Lydianizing" wares include vessels that—based on their fabric—were not made in Sardis (or in Lydia proper), but were instead made in various locales across western and central Anatolia to emulate true Lydian vessels. The most popular decorative technique attested by these Lydianzing productions is Marbled Ware - but other decorative styles invented or perfected in Lydia were also imitated, including Lydian Patterned Ware, Lydian Orientalizing ware, Lydian Bichrome Ware, and Lydian Streaky/Banded/Waveline Ware.  

New chemical analysis by neutron activation (NAA) of 31 samples from Daskyleion has identifed four chemical provenance groups of Lydian-style pottery, each defined by an element pattern that is distinct from pottery made in Sardis. Although these four provenance groups cannot be located at present due to the lack of reference data from potential Lydian-style ceramic production centres in Anatolia, they prove the existence of other production centers, one of which was likely Daskyleion (Gürtekin-Demir 2007; Kerschner 2005:137; Gürtekin-Demir, Mommsen, and Kerschner 2022).

Gordion seems to have been another production center for Lydianizing pottery. The shapes of Lydianizing vessels from an enormous dump datable to the mid-6th c. BCE match closely those from Achaemenid destruction contexts at Sardis. These include, most abundantly, skyphoi, the quintessential Lydian drinking vessels, as well as vessels for serving and consuming beverages (perhaps wine), and small vessels for scented oil (lekythoi and lydia). The Lydianizing vessels seem to be associated with feasting—particularly with drinking (wine?) and with attractive scents (Dusinberre, Lynch, and Voigt 2019, pp. 156-160).

Alaşehir (Turkey/Aegean)

Büyükbelen (Turkey/Aegean)

Daskyleion (Turkey/Marmara)

Gordion (Turkey/Central)

Kula (Turkey/Aegean)