The medieval ceramics from Rome: from sherds to economic history

This thesis analyses the medieval ceramics circulating in Rome between the tenth and the fourteenth centuries, using quantitative methods for fitting ceramic data into the wider economic history of Rome. Even though the importance of Rome during the Middle Ages is undeniable, it is still difficult to fit the numerous archaeological data into an overall analysis of the city. In particular, with ceramics as the most numerous find, it is crucial to fully understand what kinds of information these might return: the ceramic assemblages found in three sample-sites (Vicus ad Carinas, Colosseum, and church of S. Omobono) have been fully studied and compared, in order to reach a diachronic level of analysis. In fact, each site has a different chronology, thus this diachronic approach clearly shows differences and similarities of each period. Finally, the results of such analysis have been put together again and reanalysed regarding the economy of medieval Rome. The final aim is to demonstrate the importance of ceramics as a source, as these increase our knowledge of medieval trades, production, and diet. The thesis is divided into different sections: the first part is an overview of sources for medieval Rome, its people and economy, and medieval ceramics of Rome; in the second part each site has been analysed, from its earliest phases to the medieval ones, assessing both archaeological evidence and written sources; the third part focuses on quantification methods, particularly those used for analysing the three assemblages; finally, the conclusions fit the results of these quantifications into the broader context of medieval Rome