Contribution of present study, limitations and suggestions for future work

As material culture is inseparable from social interaction, analysing the technological and social aspects involved in its production is essential for understanding the forces that shape its evolution over time. This thesis introduces a technological approach grounded in chaîne opératoire theory, which contributes to discussions of the relationship between technology, style, and society in Attic Geometric and Orientalising fineware production.

In practical terms, this technological approach targets artefact variability (sensu Schiffer & Skibo 1997) across different fineware groups. The presence or absence of standardisation in ceramic products marks the circulation of technological traditions (sensu Sillar & Tite 2000), which once orchestrated ancient ceramic chaînes opératoires. The aim of this approach is to elucidate the role of the potter and his attitude towards technological traditions in relation to changing consumption demands within society. This role is studied through the isolation of his technological choices (sensu Sillar & Tite 2000) made along the chaîne opératoire and by examining them in relation to archaeological evidence and dates of significant social changes noted in previous studies. Here, the analysis of technological choices was limited to three core aspects: the conceptualisation (sensu Van der Leeuw 1994) of different ceramic shapes, the use of raw materials (sensu Van der Leeuw 1993), and the use of decorative technologies.

If applied in a practical study of archaeological ceramics, this approach is also subject to several limitations. Firstly, it requires a large number of intact vessels to be measured macroscopically in order to obtain core metrical features and estimate their relevant proportions. Such intact vessels may not always be available or accessible for several reasons. Secondly, this approach requires an adequate sample for microscopic analysis, which may not be easily accessible due to legislation restrictions. The present study offers two separate strategies to address these practical limitations.

Firstly, macroscopic analysis of metrical features and proportions can target an adequate number of vessels with complete profiles, accessed and studied macroscopically in situ, and supplemented by vessels in display studied through published photographs. To ensure the quality of statistical results, this project introduces accuracy tests that may be useful for future research on ceramic artefacts using published illustrations. Secondly, fabric analysis can target a large assemblage of fragmented pottery, examined macroscopically in hand specimens, and a smaller assemblage of similar shapes, examined microscopically. Comparisons among Hand Specimen Examination, Thin Section Analysis, and Scanning Electron Microscopy indicate that this strategy is useful for identifying fabrics and investigating fabrication practices. Furthermore, targeted SEM-EDX analysis is useful for investigating decorative technologies.

With particular reference to Attic Geometric and Orientalising finewares, this thesis offers conclusions that need to be considered alongside our current understanding of Attic Early Iron Age society:

1. Despite some adaptation during periods of significant social changes, the broader production of Attic Geometric finewares was highly standardised, practised by specialised potters, and regulated by strong technological traditions.
2. The production of skyphoi was paradoxical: although such shapes were relatively standardised in a loose sense, the potters and painters involved in their production probably enjoyed a higher degree of artistic freedom than their colleagues involved in other vessel classes. It is likely that the broader chaîne opératoire of Attic Geometric finewares was regulated by a specialised labour division subject to the potters’ own preferences. Alternatively, total production may have been subject to a strict hierarchy, in which simple shapes (e.g., skyphoi) were produced during intermediate apprenticeship stages for potters and painters who later moved on to more complex shapes (e.g., amphorae). The production of monumental Dipylon-style vessels was distinct.
3. Despite differences in the conceptualisation and function of Attic decorated finewares, all vessels were produced from the same fabric and decorated with paints of similar chemical composition for at least three centuries. The production of Subgeometric vessels and the decoration of Protoattic pottery may have followed different technological traditions from other 7th-century BC production modes.
4. The production of large closed ceramic containers and medium-sized pouring vessels was most likely clustered at a single site. This clustering enabled a small number of potters to communicate and regulate highly standardised, specialised ceramic production. The cluster matches the model of nucleated workshops suggested by Peacock (1982) and was probably located in the later Classical Athenian Agora, as suggested by Papadopoulos (2003). By contrast, the production of skyphoi was probably scattered across different locations and regulated by individual workshops (sensu Peacock 1982).
5. The number of Attic Geometric workshops suggested by Davison (1961) and Coldstream (1968) is relatively high and relates to painters rather than potters. Their numbers need to be revised.

Despite the above conclusions, this study should be expanded in the future to address gaps in Orientalising fineware production, which remains underexplored. Firstly, intact Protoattic vessels must be studied macroscopically and compared with the present Geometric finewares to investigate the continuity of technological traditions between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Secondly, microscopic analysis of fabrics and further analysis of the chemical compositions of pastes and coatings are necessary for better characterisation of 7th-century BC ceramic technologies. Such a microscopic study must include both Protoattic and Subgeometric pottery. Additionally, the present methodology could be expanded in a separate discussion of the conceptualisation of Attic Submycenaean and Protogeometric vessels, which is likely to reveal standardisation and technological traditions similar to those noted during the Geometric period. Some of the archetypal forms followed by Geometric potters are likely related to 11th- and 10th-century BC vessel shapes. This suggestion requires further investigation.

Finally, it must be specified that the features investigated in this thesis characterise the chaîne opératoire of Attic decorated finewares. According to Strack's (2007) study, the production of coarse handmade pottery in Early Iron Age Attica included many popular shapes, produced independently and regardless of technological advances in wheel-made vessel production. Furthermore, the production of undecorated coarse wares continued for public and private consumption during Classical (Rotroff and Oakley 1992) and Hellenistic times (Rotroff 2006). It is likely that this production followed different conceptualisations and technological traditions from those of decorated finewares. A similar analysis of metrical features and proportions is likely to verify this point in the future.