Late Roman pottery standardization: Hayes 85 as a case study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to determine the degree of standardization of some late Roman pottery productions. We selected a form well represented in the ceramic contexts identified in the excavations of the Late Antique port-canal of Classe, the Hayes 85 cup. The discovery of a significant number of fragments and whole pieces of these forms at the port of Classe provided us with a high number of cases which allowed for statistical analyses and obtaining conclusive data. This cup is a form which is considered rare in Hayes’ monumental book, and only new discoveries of the last 10 years show us how much we still have to understand about the characteristics of late Roman production, trade and distribution. With this in mind, we used a new statistical system which analyses the main changes in the profile of this type and its variants.