Roman-period Roof Tiles in the Eastern Mediterranean: Towards Regional Typologies
- Title
- Roman-period Roof Tiles in the Eastern Mediterranean: Towards Regional Typologies
- Creator(s)
- Hamari, Pirjo
- Date
- 2019
- Number of Pages
- 247
- Language
- eng
- Publisher
- Helsingin yliopisto
- Short Title
- Roman-period Roof Tiles in the Eastern Mediterranean
- Abstract
- This study analyses the types and use contexts of ceramic roof tiles in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Despite ceramic roof tiles being one of the most frequent finds from archaeological excavations and surveys of this period from the Mediterranean area, they have not received much interest in research. In particular, the study of plain, undecorated, or unstamped tiles has been extremely limited considering the volume of material found. This study looks at roof tile assemblages from three different excavations across the eastern Mediterranean from northern Greece and from the environs of Petra in Jordan. Based on this body of material, and collecting comparative evidence from published research, the study builds a picture of the types of roof tiles used in the area during the Roman period. By doing this, it addresses a sizable gap in our knowledge on the typological development and regional distribution of roof tile types in the study area. Chronologically, the research covers a period from the 1st to the 5th centuries CE, coinciding with the Roman dominance in the area. Spatially, it reaches from Roman Greece to the Roman Near East. In this study, methods typically applied in the study of plain pottery have been adapted to this material, namely the study of forms (typology) and the study of fabrics (compositional analysis). Typology is used as the key explanatory tool for the material. In addition, the study uses x-ray fluorescence (microXRF) to analyse the composition of the tile fabrics from one of the assemblages, in order to study the particulars of the production process.The results shed new light on the practice of roof tiling in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, on regional types and variations of tile types in the Roman period, and on societal aspects related to tile production and use. Despite the conservatism apparent in the general forms, the study recognizes potential typological traits in the Roman-period tile types. Moreover, it highlights the regional variation present in this seemingly uniform material. The study confirms that the tile types used in this area are derivatives of earlier eastern types, rather than emulations of Roman types, and an adherence to the use of the specific combinations of pan and cover tiles that originally defined the early Greek tile systems (Laconian, Corinthian, and hybrid) continues throughout the period under study.The data underlying the research does not currently allow for the development of full regional typologies, but a preliminary hypothesis is formed about the tile regions in the study area for the Roman period. Three separate macro regions are identified, based on the types of tile used, corresponding roughly to Roman Greece, Roman Asia Minor, and the Roman Near East. In addition to defining tile regions and types, the study reveals a large variation in the use contexts of roof tiles in this area during the Roman period, which is reflected in the presence and frequency of tiles in the archaeological landscape. In summary, while frequent in the Greek archaeological record of the Roman period, ceramic tile has a very low to minimal penetration into the Roman-period countryside of the Near East, in particular in southern Levant. In this area, tile use contexts are limited to public urban and grander domestic architecture. The results clearly indicate that with improved documentation of tile assemblages, valuable new data would become available for archaeological research in this area.
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