Classical Studies

This work will address the following main questions: were the economic networks of the Hellenistic Mediterranean limited by the political relationships, or did they transcend the political environment? Using the catalogues of moldmade bowls from the sites of Akko, Tel Dor, and Ashkelon, can we determine if the moldmade bowls in the Levant were produced locally or imported from foreign workshops? If they are primarily imported, can we identify their provenance? Furthermore, is it possible to identify specific workshops based on a methodology for studying moldmade bowls? Understanding the Mediterranean during the Hellenistic period is a challenge due to the constantly shifting landscape of political control and subsequently changing trade networks. Hellenistic moldmade relief bowls were part of the complex trade network that existed in the Mediterranean. These bowls, a product of Athenian creation, were at the height of their popularity in the Mediterranean during the second century BCE. It can be difficult to establish the provenance of a moldmade bowl, but this work will examine whether the origin may be indicated by a combination of attributes: the shape, the relief style, the common motifs, the fabric, and the ware. Examining the remains of MMBs from six sites around the Mediterranean, and comparing the assemblages based upon these attributes, can help us understand the complex trade networks occurring regionally and throughout the Mediterranean.