Ceramic imitations of silverware at Mytilene at the time of the Roman conquest, between Late Hellenistic traditions and new developments

Based on a petrographic analysis of ceramic imitations of silverware, this paper explores pottery traditions at Mytilene on Lesbos during the Late Roman Republic and Early Empire, a crucial period in the history of the city that is underdocumented in the archaeological literature. The goal is to provide new insights into the local sociocultural traditions and socioeconomic organisation at the time of the Roman conquest. After siding with Mithridates VI of Pontus, Mytilene fell under the military control of Rome in 80 BC ; it was used as a naval base in Pompey’s war against the pirates; the Roman magistrate restored the city’s freedom in 62 BC on bequest of Theophanes of Mytilene ; in 27 BC, Augustus confered the status of Roman ally to the city that would later host him as well as Agrippa on their visits to the Asian provinces. The study focuses on decorated tablewares found during excavations by the Canadian Institute in Greece at the ancient acropolis of Mytilene: black-glazed hemispherical bowls, lead-glazed cups and bowls, eastern sigillata wares, the so-called “Tenedos” and “sanded” wares, and the “portrait” bowls picturing Theophanes. These ostentatious vessels are all identified by their shapes, surface finish, and moulded decoration as affordable and readily made imitations of the expensive metalware. They were obviously praised by the local population, and they show a diversification of shapes and surface covers under Roman rule. The fabrics exhibit a fairly homogeneous set of mineralogical features, which demonstrates a long-lasting tradition of exploiting one single set of clay resources in the vicinity of the urban center. Variations in texture and microstructure, however, suggest a diversification of clay processing methods that goes hand-in-hand with stylistic developments of the vessels, probably starting under Augustus, at a time of the renewed influence of Rome over the island.