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Crikvenica – Ad Turres, Last Year’s Discovery of Another Roman Kiln at the “Igralište” Site
Goranka Lipovac Vrkljan
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Thanks to the systematic archaeological excavations that have been carried out at the “Igralište” site in Crikvenica, in recent years we have determined the spatial distribution of the numerous workshop facilities of a Roman pottery complex. Based on the evidence, we have concluded that only a part of the workshop’s production content lies within the area of the present archaeological excavations, which cover an area of 1,880 m2. This includes kilns, structures for clay production, a working area, a refuse pit, and drainage systems. This discovery represents only the northern production zone of the pottery complex within the Ad Turres site, situated along the workshop’s local Roman road, around which individual workshops lay. In last year’s excavations in the northern workshop zone, another kiln of the Cuomo di Caprio IIb standard type was unearthed.
The “northern kiln” is situated within sq. F, G 12 – 13 and extends in a West-East direction. It is rectangular in shape, and covers an area of 2.80 m x 4.63 m. It consists of a firebox and baking chamber. The chamber was divided in two: a smoking area and a baking area. The two chamber parts were divided by a grille. Openings in the grille enabled the passage of hot air from the smoking area to the objects in the baking area. The grille was supported by four pairs of opposing pilasters whose arches supported its central construction. The kiln is situated along the workshop’s northern enclosing wall (SU 097), almost leaning against it. In order to insulate the enclosing wall against the heat, there was an insulation layer (SU 467) between the kiln’s wall and the workshop’s enclosing wall. This was made of fragments of small stones, plaster and clay. The inner kiln walls are covered by a protective insulation layer of clay. The central part of the “northern” Roman kiln in Crikvenica was cut by a well (SU 080). Within the same northern part of the workshop’s production centre, there is another workshop structure, the “northern room”. Due to its multiple functions and long use, the excavation of this structure took place over the course of the past three years. In the 2011 excavations of the northern part of the “northern room”, new finds of amorphous crude pottery, ceramic semi-products and baked earth were unearthed, testifying to the existence of the kiln in the earliest stage of use of this workshop area. In later stages, the area was converted into a temporary living area, as confirmed by additional walls, the finding of firebox paving made of suspensurae and tegulae (SU 172) with traces of fire on the surface, and finds of small animal bones representing food remains. Later on, with additional and partition walls (SU 136, northern wall SU 102, tegulae channel SU 304, eastern walls SU 107 and SU 135, and eastern partition wall SU 396), the structure was converted into a working area for pottery production. As has already been pointed out, in this later stage, the room was mainly used for producing thin-walled pottery.
Keywords
Crikvenica; Roman pottery workshop; kiln; thin-walled pottery
Hrčak ID:
89831
URI
Publication date:
25.10.2011.
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