Materials, Objects and People: The Mould-Made Terra Sigillata from the Arretine Production of Cn. Ateius

The present research aims to analyse the production process of the mould-made terra sigillata produced by Cn. Ateius atelier (20/15-5 BC).

A well-known dump found in the 1950s of the Twentieth Century in Via Nardi (Arezzo, IT) referred to this atelier will be the case study.

The study of this archaeological context is a unique opportunity to learn about the dynamics of the mould-made terra sigillata production.

The first step will focus on the morphological and typological study of vessels, bowl-moulds and spacers referable to this atelier.

The fragments will be digitised with a 3D scanner and analysed by AI in order to collect all the stamped motifs, reconstruct the decorative registers and find the traces left by the craftsmen during the production process.

Thanks to these actions we will be able to define the shapes and decorations of the mould-made artefacts from the workshop of Cn. Ateius, whose production remains almost entirely unpublished.

In order to explore the production process, the mineralogical-petrographic and chemical composition of ceramics, 120 samples will be analysed as follows: X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron microscopy (SEM) and polarised light microscopy.

In addition, the dynamics of exploitation and depletion of natural resources in Roman times will be studied by sampling and analysing the clay deposits in the plain between Arezzo and Cincelli. Finally, all the marks left by the artisans during the production process will be studied.

The study of stamps, graffiti and fingerprints will, in fact, provide information on the names, gender and age of the workers.

In conclusion, the research will add new data on the various aspects of Aretine pottery production process and thanks to its interdisciplinary approach will also shed light on the individuals who made these artefacts.