Magna Achaea Akhaian late geometric and archaic pottery in south Italy and Sicily

Abstract

Imported Akhaian and locally produced Akhaian-style pottery occurs in South Italy, Sicily, and beyond, found not only in the Akhaian apoikiai, but also in other settlements. The most characteristic Akhaian shape-the kantharos-is discussed within the context of its home region, including Elis. Examples of Archaic Akhaian pottery in the West are assembled and the distribution is compared to that of Akhaian and West Greek imports in the Late Bronze Age. A pattern emerges that suggests a complex reality of interaction and movement of people, commodities, and ideas between Greece and Italy in the pre- and protohistoric periods, thus contributing to a better understanding of the first western Greeks.