Contemporary pottery-making in Rhodes: Approaching ancient through modern craft traditions

Petrographic analyses of ceramics from ethnographic and archaeological contexts on the Aegean island of Rhodes (Dodecanese, Greece) reveal diverse strategies in clay preparation and production sequences, although the same basic raw materials have been utilised. The aim of this study is to illuminate the technological choices made by contemporary and ancient potters (raw material selection, clay preparation, firing) based on the composition of the raw clays deposited on the island. Site-specific explanation models for potting behaviour will be formulated and discussed in terms of functional and socio-economic parameters. For the first time, a comprehensive insight into Rhodian pottery manufacturing will be given, providing valuable clay and ceramic reference data for future interdisciplinary studies.