Edward Herring

Phenomenology in Practice: Towards a Methodology for a 'Subjective' Approach

The article deals with the practice of phenomenological archaeological fieldwork, which is concerned with sensory experience of landscapes and locales. Phenomenological approaches in archaeology ha...

More than just pretty pictures: red-figure pottery production beyond Athens

Red-figure pottery first achieved prominence in the modern world through antiquarianism and the collection of souvenirs on the Grand Tour. This fundamentally shaped the scholarship of this class of pottery. Vases were valued for their completeness, their iconography—scenes depicting Greek myth and literature being particularly prized—and their aesthetic qualities. Famous private collections were formed, many of which subsequently entered the worlds great museums. Less value was placed upon the vessels as archaeological objects. The contexts in which they were found, their associations with other objects and their roles in ancient society were given little consideration. The pursuit of intact vases led to a focus on cemeteries, and many discoveries were, and indeed continue to be, the result of looting. Thus, most museum collections are dominated by vessels without proper provenance. Moreover, collections are skewed towards funerary and, to a lesser extent, sanctuary evidence, and away from material used in domestic contexts. The importance of iconography and aesthetics means that museums tend to display the most varied and beautiful vessels, ignoring much of the output of ancient workshops.

Greek Traders in Native Contexts in Iron Age Southeastern Italy: From Interaction to Marginality

This paper examines the evidence for Greek traders residing at native sites in southeastern Italy between the eighth and sixth centuries BC. Trade is now seen as one of the key motivations behind the Greek ‘colonization’ of southern Italy. Contact between Greek and native communities was vital to the social and cultural development of both. Although trade need not require cohabitation, scholars have arguedthat there is evidence for resident Greek traders at various native sites. In total, four sites are examined in detail. Two sites are close to later ‘colonies’: Torre Saturo near Taras, and Incoronata near Metapontum. The other two sites are the Adriatic port of Brindisi and the inland site of Cavallino, near modern Lecce. Generally, the evidence for resident foreign traders is quite elusive. However, it is possible to argue that, over time, attitudes towards foreign traders changed,making cohabitation less common.