These centres are united by their high proportion of finely sorted limestone, in conjunction with a good quality red or red-brown slip. Although marbled samian was produced in south Gaul, none is represented here.
Ten samples
In colour these products are pale pink-brown: the closest Munsell value is 10R 6/8, with 6/6, 5/6 and 5/8 less frequently recorded; if anything the hue of the La Graufesenque fabric tends to be slightly redder than the Munsell 10R card. The surfaces are red-brown (10R 5/8) with an even, often highly lustrous slip. Samples are hard with a smooth fracture and feel.
This fabric contains abundant limestone, normally <0.1mm and not readily visible on Plate 17, but occasionally up to 0.5mm, and sparse fine silver mica. Elongate voids, to 2.0mm, are sparse but distinctive to the fabric. Generally the inclusions are well sorted.
The clay is isotropic, with a fine groundmass containing rare silt and abundant rounded limestone (<0.15mm), together with sparse muscovite mica. The voids seen macroscopically are also identifiable in thin section, as are silt-sized opaques.
Albus, Calvus, Carantus, Iucundus, Maccarus, Masc(u)lus, Mercator, Modestus, Peregrinus
Museum of London
Department of Prehistoric & Romano-British Antiquities, The British Museum; Museum of London; Dépôt de Fouilles de la Graufesenque, Millau (France); Musée Municipal de Millau (France); Musée des Antiquités Nationales de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France)
Bémont, C, & Jacob, J-P (eds), 1986 La terre sigillée gallo-romaine. Lieux de production du Haut Empire: implantations, produits, relations, Documents d’Archéologie Française 6, Paris
Dickinson, B M, & Hartley, B R, 1993 Samian ware, Roman pottery from the fortress: 9 Blake Street (J Monaghan), The Archaeology of York. The Pottery 16/7, 722–5
Hawkes, C F C, & Hull, M R, 1947 Camulodunum. First report on the excavations at Colchester 1930–1939, Rep Res Comm Soc Antiq London 14
Hermet, F, 1934 La Graufesenque (Condatomago): vases sigillés, graffites, Paris
Hull, M R, 1958 Roman Colchester, Rep Res Comm Soc Antiq London 20, 153 (1st pottery shop), 198 (2nd pottery shop)
Hull, M R, 1963 The Roman potters’ kilns of Colchester, Rep Res Comm Soc Antiq London 21
Knorr, R, 1919 Töpfer und Fabriken verzierter Terra Sigillata des ersten Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart
Knorr, R, 1952 Terra Sigillata Gefässe des ersten Jahrhunderts mit Töpfernamen, Stuttgart
Vernhet, A, 1979 La Graufesenque. Atelier de céramiques gallo-romain, Toulouse
See the related record on the Atlas of Roman Pottery on the Potsherd website
Five samples
Like most British examples, all the samples included here are 2nd century in date.
This is often a very pale red-brown (nearest value 10R 6/8, estimated value 10R 8/8–7/8) fabric. Surfaces are red-brown (10R 5/8–4/8) with a smooth lustrous slip. It is hard with a smooth fracture and feel. The 1st century Montans fabric is generally paler than La Graufesenque, with browner gloss, and therefore more similar to Lezoux.
The fabric is dominated, even more so than La Graufesenque, by abundant well-sorted limestone, <0.1mm, occasionally to 0.4mm. All other inclusions are sparse, with only one grain of quartz seen in five samples. Red-brown iron-rich grains (occasionally to 0.3mm), fine silver mica and voids (to 1.0mm) are also identified.
An isotropic calcareous clay is visible, with limestone accounting for approximately half of the groundmass on part of the sample. Muscovite and brown mica can be identified, as can sparse quartz, opaques, limestone (sometimes as voids with reaction rims), clean clay pellets and feldspar, all of which measure between 0.1–0.3mm.
Chresimus (x2), Felicio, Q.V-C- (x2)
Museum of London
Museum of London; Musée Toulouse-Lautrec d’Albi (France) (Collection Lacroix); Musée Raymond-Lafage de Lisle-sur-Tarn (France) (Collection Lacroix); Dépôt de fouilles de Montans (France); Musée Saint-Raymond de Toulouse (France) (Collection Rossignol)
Bémont, C, & Jacob, J-P (eds), 1986 La terre sigillée gallo-romaine. Lieux de production du Haut Empire: implantations, produits, relations, Documents d’Archéologie Française 6, Paris
Simpson, G, 1976 Decorated terra sigillata at Montans (Tarn) from the manuscript of Elie Rossignol at Albi, Britannia 7, 244–73
See the related record on the Atlas of Roman Pottery on the Potsherd website
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