Traditional Pottery and the Potters in Cyprus FROM THE PUBLISHER
The conservative character of traditional handmade pottery in Cyprus has long attracted the interest of archaeologists and ethnoarchaeologists. But these have mainly been concerned with manufacturing techniques, while this book considers the subject from wider perspectives and highlights the complementary relationship between handmade pottery produced by peasant-potters and wheel-made pottery issuing from urban workshops. By considering the social position of the potter and modes of pottery production, Ionas opens out the discussion of craft production and illustrates its dependency on socioeconomic organization. At the core of the book is a classification of more than 100 hand- and wheel-made objects according to their function, and a detailed analysis of techniques, from earth-gathering to firing. By then exploiting all existing data - including ancient writings, etymologies and toponyms - the static nature of ethnographic information is partially overcome and the author shows how craft-production is an integral aspect of the troubled history of the Eastern Mediterranean. The conclusions reached in this important study will undoubtedly encourage new research into the evolution of craft-production from the medieval period onwards in the lands of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Contents: Preface; List of illustrations; Administration, economy and daily life; Traditional pottery: Centres of production and repertoires; Classification; Surface treatments: decoration, inscriptions, coating for impermeability and glazing; Use; Pottery manufacture: The potter's implements; Raw materials and their treatment; Forming and finishing methods; Kilns and firing; Potters, production anddistribution: Potters; Discussions of the modes of production; Words linked to the pottery craft: Older names for the classes of potters and etymologies; Toponyms; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Looks at traditional hand-made pottery in Cyprus from a wider perspective than that concerned with merely manufacturing techniques, considering the social position of the potter, the modes of pottery production, and the relationship between hand-made pottery produced by peasant potters and wheel-made pottery from urban workshops. This level of discussion illustrates the dependency of craft production on socio-economic organization. Some 100 hand- and wheel-made objects are classified according to their function, with detailed analysis of techniques used. The book includes b&w photos of pottery. Ionas is a Cypriot researcher engaged in fieldwork since 1985, focusing on rural life and peasant economy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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