Ceramic trade and distribution at the intersection of the eastern and western Mediterranean in the 5th – 7th centuries: new evidence from the Roman forum at Butrint (Buthrotum)

On the Straits of Otranto in front of the island of Corfu, ancient Butrint served a fundamental role in Mediterranean seaborne trade, occupying an intermediate zone in the shipping routes between Rome and the eastern Mediterranean. The city was generally prosperous throughout history, but there were two moments of remarkable economic growth: the first was in the Augustan and High Imperial periods, stemming from the economic activities associated with the pax Romana, and the second was in Late Antiquity and the Byzantine periods, when it became an episcopal see, with monumental religious buildings, including basilicas and the baptistery. The scale of trade is reflected in the wide-range of pottery imported during this latter period (4th-7th centuries AD). The rise and high-level of imports arose from complex economic and cultural developments linked to imperial and provincial elite interests, involving local, regional and Mediterranean-wide dynamics. Starting with an analysis of ceramics from select deposits excavated by the Roman Forum Excavations Project at Butrint (University of Notre Dame, Prof. D.R. Hernandez; Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Prof. Dh. Çondi), we examine trends in imports at Butrint during Late Antiquity, with particular attention to the quantitative variations between eastern and western goods and their influences on local material culture.