General Information

Phrygian Gray-Slipped/Burnished ware was used to make vessels for table use: stemmed dishes and two forms of small bowl. The stemmed dishes comes in a range of standardized sizes: small (diameter = c. 11 cm), large (diameter = c. 30 cm) and very large (diameter = 40 cm). Dish rims were gently flattened, with a rounded tip at the outer edge and a very slight lip on the upward edge (generally discernable by feel rather than sight). Much care was taken in the production of the stemmed vessels: the small ones are exquisite, and the larger ones elaborately decorated via slip and burnishing as well as additional elaboration on the stems in the form of horizontal ridging. 

Bowls come in three basic sizes: diameters of c. 20, 30, and 40 cm. Two primary shapes occur: smooth-walled bowls, and bowls with a finger groove on the exterior below the rim. The lip is rounded, and the interior smooth even on those bowls with a finger groove; there is no carination. All have flat bases, or (very occasionally) a base that has been gently carved out to make a shallow concavity on the bottom.*

* this description comes from Dusinberre, Lynch, and Voigt 2019, pp. 168-171

Both the stemmed dishes and the bowls were made of finely levigated clay with small voids and a small amount of added fine grit. Stemmed dishes were smoothly slipped, with a glossy surface, pearly luster, and a distinctive “soapy” feel. Many closely resemble silver in their coloration. The bowls were less elaborately finished; they were generally self-slipped and sometimes lightly burnished, also with a pearly luster and often dark silver color.

Gordion (Turkey/Central)