International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Elvana Metalla
Center for Albanian Studies, National Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, Albania;
[e-mail]
Medieval Glazed and Coarse Wares from Albania
The Albanian territory during the middle ages is one of the most important areas of Byzantine 
Empire. In this poster we are represented the most typical wares that are found in old and new 
excavations in different parts. The pottery during this period includes different types such as 
byzantine imports represented by 
Fine Sgraffito
, 
Measles Ware
Champleve Ware
, 
Green and Brown 
Ware
ect., and the italic imports represented by 
Protomaiolica Ware
,“
RMR
” 
Ware
, 
Italian Polychrome 
Graffito Ware
, 
Metallic Ware
, 
Double Dipped
Ware 
and 
Maiolica Ware
. Also important are the coarse 
ware from local and imports productions.
The material presented here may be attributed to the XII
th
- XVI
th
century, coinciding with the 
Byzantine Empire, Norman conquests and the Sicilian emperors, Angevines, and the Venetians.
The medieval ceramics show a high level of domestic use involving fine and coarse wares 
during the XII
th
– XVI
th
century taking into consideration the historical data in these periods.
The excavated sites such as Durrës, Vlorë, Lezhë, Butrint, Berat ect., clearly show that the 
earliest wares date from the XII
th
century represented by 
Sgraffito Ware
. The others types were mostly 
imported from the western Mediterranean and are represented in large quantities of 
Protomaiolica 
Ware
, and “
RMR
” Ware. These wares imported mainly from Apulia in southern Italy which may 
relate this influx of ceramics with the campaigns of Manfred of Sicily in 1257, and later by his 
successor, Charles of Anjou, in 1279. During the XIV
th
century, table wares were followed by small 
– scale of 
Maiolica 
and 
Italian
Polychrome Graffito Ware 
imports from northern Italy, which seem 
to have poured into the city in the late XV
th
and early XVI
th
centuries. These imports also seem to 
reflect historical events, namely the influence of the Republic of Venice after the death of Charles 
III of Anjou in 1386. The imports from northern Italy seem to stop at the end of the 16th century.
As a conclusion, the Albanian territory taken in consideration by us seems to have been related 
with the Byzantine Empire and from the XIII
th
century until the beginning of the XVI
th
century with 
Italic Peninsula, reaching their zenith during the XIII
th
and the late XIV
th
century.

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