Wine jars and jar makers of Cyprus
Subtitle: the ethnoarchaeology of pitharia
By: Gloria London
Series: Studies in Mediterranean archaeology and literature. PB -- 188; Studies in Mediterranean archaeology and literature -- 188.
Publisher: Astrom Editions
Published: 2020
Place of publication: Nicosia, Cyprus
Language: eng
Number of pages: 218
ISBN-13: 9789925745555
Subjects: Ancient Pottery
Description: "A Danish police officer, who volunteered for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, spent his spare time documenting traditional technologies, especially those related to handmade pottery, farming and food.  Knud Jensen recorded over 60 pitharia, immense jars for fermenting wine, produced for centuries until 1972. He speculated that the names incised on jar shoulders, prior to firing, held information about the history of Cyprus. Detective Jensen managed to trace century-old jars back to craftspeople who made them and to their descendants living in Lazania and other Troodos foothill villages.  His findings, combined with more recent ethnoarchaeological research by the author, provide practical templates to: reconstruct the ancient ceramics industry; assess the markings on archaeological pottery; evaluate artefact reuse; identify sources of variation in the work of craft specialists past and present; acknowledge itinerant male and female potters; and explain the multiplicity of traditional and ancient regional terms for essential household items." -- Back cover
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-212) and index.