The diffusion of pottery products, decorative styles and craft technology in the late medieval Mediterranean: A Greek perspective

International audience; This paper provides insights into commercial, artistic and techno-social interactions during the 14th century, a period of Mediterranean History that is mostly defined by social crises, political instability and conflicts, particularly in Greece. We tackle this question through an integrative study of provenance and technology of sgraffito tablewares, a sophisticated item of material culture that became widely distributed within and beyond the Byzantine world in late medieval times. The focus is on 155 fragments found at Thebes and Corinth, two strategic centers of international commerce and political organization in mainland Greece. We combine archaeological and stylistic approaches with mineralogical, chemical and textural analyses of the ceramic bodies, slips and glazes. The goal is to assess complexity, diversity and overlaps in pottery trade networks, spheres of artistic influences, and corridors of technological transfers, each of which results from a specific type of interaction between peoples during this politically unstable period.