Uniformity in Tophet Ceramics?

Abstract

Abstract Burial urns and lids found in the Carthage tophet precinct play a pivotal role in our understanding of material trajectories. Significant differences in macroscopic features present problems as to where and how these vessels were made. In general, issues in sourcing north African ceramic materials stem from their compositional homogeneity, having mostly sand and calcareous fractions varying to a greater or lesser degree. In this paper we present the results of a petrographic study of ceramic materials in order to understand the different fabrics present within the tophet assemblage, with the ultimate aim of determining whether or not their production took place in Carthage itself and to trace transformations in local and regional ceramic fabric types.