Hellenistic mouldmade relief bowls in Thessaly

Thesis

This thesis offers the first comprehensive and comparative study of Hellenistic mouldmade relief bowls discovered in Thessaly. The material under examination originates from old (1906-1916) and more recent excavations (1970s – to this day) across 23 Thessalian sites, conducted under the auspices of the Archaeological Society of Athens (under A. Arvanitopoulos) and the local Ephorates of Antiquities. Out of the 616 complete and fragmentary bowls examined here (which are recorded in 568 catalogue entries), only a few groups have been partially published to this day.

The aim of this study is to offer a regional perspective regarding the production, distribution and consumption of a very popular category of fine-ware, dispersed across the Hellenistic world. The examination of relief bowls within their excavation contexts (chapter.II) enables the identification of production centres and local workshops across the region. At the same time, it sheds light to the offering and use of such vessels in funerary assemblages. The interpretation of the bowls’ iconography (chapter.III) explains how literacy, education, theatricality, myths, cults, and everyday life were expressed in aspects of Thessalian material culture during the Hellenistic period. Emphasis is placed on the relationship of mouldmade bowls with other contemporary and earlier forms of art. Recording and discussing various types of inscriptions occurring on the bowls (chapter.IV) enhances our understanding of their relationship with manuscripts, of local dialects and paleographical trends. The classification of the bowls into typological groups and comparisons with other regional productions, mostly of mainland Greece and Asia Minor, allows the establishment of a typological sequence for the Thessalian production (chapter.V). Identifying imported specimens from other major production centres showcases the place of Thessaly within a network of Aegean pottery workshops, and the significance of its cosmopolitan harbours and land-routes as transit centres (chapter.VI). Ultimately, this research improves our understanding of material culture in Thessaly during the last three centuries BC and comprises an original contribution to Hellenistic pottery studies.

Authors: Dalgkitsi, A

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-gw66pngr4
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Hellenistic pottery; mouldmade relief bowls; Thessaly
• Subjects: Pottery, Hellenistic