West Slope pottery from (Abstract)

Anelia Bozkova

The article is the first overview of the Koprivlen and other sites on Mesta. Vases West Slope style ancient pottery, iscovered with West Slope decoration persisted in the territory of Bulgaria. The analysis longest in the poleis comprises finds from throughout the (Mesambria) and were both imported country and is based both on published (from Asia Minor) and of local, Pontic materials and materials that were studied origin. In the territory of present-day by the author at first hand. The text is Bulgaria, West Slope vases, manufactured structured in the following large parts: in various workshops in the Mediterranean places of discovery (contexts); Attic type and the Black Sea area, were found. of West Slope pottery; Asia Minor type of The variety of stylistic groups is due West Slope pottery; West Slope pottery entirely to the geographic distribution of with conventional decoration; West Slope the finds. In the Black Sea area and the pottery from Southwestern Bulgaria with interior of Eastern that was related parallels in the Northern Aegean and to its markets, those stylistic groups ancient Macedonia; “Pontic type” of West predominate that were typical of the Pontic Slope pottery. region as a whole – Attic (and imitations), Within these parts, where possible, the Asia Minor (and imitations), and local specimensare presented as morphological Pontic. To the west, this cultural groups. The group of Attic specimens (or community is manifested to the region of vases of Attic type) is distinguished with (Halka Bunar at ) all necessary cautiousness, as there are no and Ruse. However, the finds from the area analyses of the clay. The risk of incorrect of are stylistically related to the identification was the reason for setting group from the reaches of Mesta and apart the group of West Slope pottery with Struma and one more time indicate the conventional decoration, comprising vases stability of the trade routes through the of various styles and uncertain Rhodopi Mountains to the Thracian Plain manufacture, some of them possibly of and the relations of Thrace with Attic origin. The conclusion summarizes manufacturing centres in ancient the data from the analysis. In chronological Macedonia. The whole pattern of terms, it is established that vases of the distribution of West Slope pottery indicates West Slope type appeared early, in the a good reception among both the very beginning of their manufacture, and customers in the Pontic colonies, where not only along the Black Sea coast, but higher quality specimens from Attic also in the Thracian interior. In the later ergasteria were also imported (finds from stages of the (after the and Varna), and the Thracian middle of the 3rd c. BC), the imports (and population in the interior. The presence of the manufacture?) of West Slope pottery specimens of “Pontic” manufacture in increased, but it is concentrated mainly on Ruse and Kabyle (and probably other the Pontic coast and less along the major places) indicates uninterrupted contacts rivers (respectively major trade routes) – in with the colonies in the Middle and Late Kabyle on Tundzha, Ruse on the Danube, Hellenistic Period.