Punic Painted Ware Pottery from Uzita (Tunisia).

Abstract

The Punic Painted Ware pottery stemming from the Dutch-Tunisian excavations of Jan Willem Salomonson (1970-1972; Utrecht University) in Uzita is presented and discussed. The site of Uzita (or Uzitta) was an urban settlement within the Roman Imperial province of Byzacena and the excavations focused upon the stratigraphies below the (mosaic) floors of three Roman domus. A decade after the excavations, Jaap van der Werff was the first to draw attention to finds that witnessed a preceding Punic phase. The present contribution elaborates upon the material from this phase, all found in residual position, showing a broad spectrum of Punic Painted Ware vessels dating to the (second half of the) 5th and 4th centuries BCE. Half the sample can be attributed to Carthaginian productions, the other half may stem from other Tunisian workshops, both from the immediate area of Uzita and beyond.