Oltre il visibile. Un approccio interdisciplinare per la ricostruzione della tecnologia di produzione della ceramica a vernice nera da Locri Epizefiri

The study of black-glazed pottery can be a meaningful tool for the reconstruction of local production systems. The joint analysis of morphological repertoires and craft procedures outlines a reliable framework for understanding the cultural, social and economic elements of the chaîne opératoire. A fundamental contribution to the analysis of these aspects came from the progressive opening of the studies towards archaeometry. Initially focused on the characterization of the clays, during the past few decades interdisciplinary research has been extended to specific aspects of production technology, attempting the reconstruc tion of local manufacturing processes. This paper aims to present the approach developed during the Ph.D. project entitled “Tecnologia di produzione della ceramica a vernice nera in Calabria meridionale (fine VI-inizi II secolo a.C.). Studio dei contesti artigianali e analisi archeometriche”, carried out at the University of Turin under the supervision of D. Elia (PhD in Archaeological, Historical and Historical-Artistic Sciences, XXXIV cycle). The ty pological classification of more than 3000 pottery shards from the recent excavations of the University of Turin in Locri Epizephyrii allowed the diachronic reconstruction of the local production technology, unveiling the manufacturing process of this ceramic production from the “visible” aspects to the “invisible” ones.