Reconstructing 2nd c. AD production technology at the Roman small town of Grobbendonk, Belgium: A preliminary study using thin section petrography

Red and grey coarse ware jars and bowls were produced at a number of Roman small towns in the low lands of northern Belgium and western Netherlands, including Kontich, Grobbendonk, Rumst and Halder. Some studies have focused on the compositional analysis of the red and grey coarse ware produced at the sites at Kontich, Rumst and Halder. In comparison, studies on the pottery from Grobbendonk have focused on the typo-chronology, indicating that two workshops were active during the second century AD. More specifically, potters at the Hoogveldstraat site produced ceramics during the first half of the second century AD, while potters at the Steenberg kiln site were active during the second half of the second century AD. The locally produced red and grey ware from this site had not been subject of further compositional examination.
This paper focused on the compositional study of red and grey ware produced at the Roman small town of Grobbendonk. A total of 16 sherds were selected from waster vessels of the two workshops at the site, and analysed in thin section petrography. The aim was to understand aspects of the production sequence, including raw materials selection, paste preparation, forming and firing. This was combined with geological prospection around the site, in order to identify the raw materials that may have been used for Roman pottery manufacture. The nature of the failed products was also examined, in order to assess potters’ quality control.
The results of the study have permitted to establish compositional diversity in the production technology employed at the two workshops of Grobbendonk. More specifically, Roman potters, who were active at the Hoogveldstraat site, seem to have mixed clay sources for producing grey coarse ware. Potters at the Steenberg kiln site seem to have added coarse sand to red fine and coarse ware, they tempered storage jars with grog, and used a fine paste for producing amphorae. Comparison between the ceramic thin sections and the geological raw materials suggest that clay may have been transported some 10 km away, while tempering material seems to have been found on site. Potters seem to have discarded their products when they were over-fired, or when the desired surface colour was not achieved.