Chapter 2 - Archaeological Indicators of Mediterranean Sea Trade

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Persian Gulf littoral: Terra Sigillata found at Ed-Dur has been sourced to
the Eastern Sigillata group (Salles 1984:250; 1993:502).
Indian Subcontinent: Except for 3 sherds which have been attributed an
Eastern Mediterranean origin, all other sigillata pieces from Arikamedu belong to the
Western Sigillata (specifically Italian) group (Comfort 1992:134-150, Slane
1992:205-215).
The single fragment from Nasik, identified as Samian Ware by Wheeler and
his colleagues (see above), would therefore have an Eastern Mediterranean
provenance. Slane (1992:207), however, is doubtful of an eastern provenance for the
sherd and is of the opinion that the fragment could be from Gaul (ancient France).
However, it may be noted that unlike Wheeler, Slane makes her observation without
studying the sherd first-hand.
Sri Lanka: The terra sigillata found in Sri Lanka belongs to the Italian as well
as Eastern Sigillata groups (see footnotes in Slane 1992:214).
The distribution of terra sigillata in the Erythraean Sea littoral shows that
Mediterranean fine wares had reached all the littoral-regions except Eastern India and
South-East Asia. Both the Western and Eastern Sigillata varieties have been
recovered from the Red Sea region and the Gulf of Aden littoral. Though the Persian
Gulf region has hitherto yielded only terra sigillata of the eastern Mediterranean,
imitations of the Western Sigillata group have been identified at a number of sites. In
India, both the Western and Eastern Sigillata varieties have been found, the former
in greater number and mostly from the site of Arikamedu. Direct imitations of
Arretine forms also occur at Arikamedu and probably Adam in western India. As we
shall discuss, many specimens within the Indian Red Polished Ware group
approximate to the fabric and typology of some terra sigillata types.
7. Black Glazed Ware
Specimens of the Greek Black Glazed classic pottery were found in Failaka in
levels dated to 285-250 B.C. (Potts 1990:166-168). A fragment of a black polished
bowl from Devnimori (Gujarat) having incurved rim and convex belly has been
classified as 'Black arretine type' and dated to the early centuries of the Christian Era
(Mehta and Chowdhary 1966:69,87). The published drawing of the pottery (Mehta
and Chowdhary 1966 Fig 36:106) is similar to a redware bowl from the Lower Pd
(1st-2nd century A.D.) levels of Qana (Yemen). Though the excavator has illustrated
the latter as part of the terra sigillata corpus, he associates the bowl with the Indian
Red Polished Ware (Sedov 1996: fig.4:19; Pl. XIX.d).