ANCIENT POTTERY IN ALEXANDRIA – CERAMALEX

As the greatest commercial metropolis of the Hellenistic and Roman East, Alexandria played an important role in the economic structure of the Mediterranean. At the same time it was the focus for contact between the Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. Because of intensive research since the 1980s a series of well documented and stratified excavations is available. The late quantities of data generated by them allow for the first time systematic investigations of economic and cultural historical questions to be carried out. Alexandria as a hinge between the Mediterranean and the Nile Valley offers a general view of the many-sided spectrum of ceramic production in the country and its economic relationships. The necessary basis in the form of overall chronological and typological systems is still lacking, however. The first goals of the project are the extension and integration of the databases of the German and French excavations in Alexandria, Schedia and Marea, as well as the elaboration of a common typology and terminology. Scientific investigations will help in the determination of provenience and the formation of groups. On this basis, an overarching chronological system will be elaborated through the comparison with other relevant excavation data and external projects. This work will flow into an atlas of the Ptolemaic-Roman pottery of Alexandria. Finally, on the basis of statistical investigations economic and cultural historical questions will be pursued with long-term perspectives (4th century BCE – 8th century CE). This innovative project requires differentiated cooperation: the generation of basic data takes place in the single projects, while a central German-French working group will be established for questions of standardization, integration and overall evaluation. Other joint tasks will be delegated (CEA: natural sciences, AI Köln: Database/GIS, Internet platform).