The discovery of phocaean red slip ware (prsw) form 3 and bii ware (lr1 amphorae) on sites in ireland—an analysis within a broader framework

Abstract

'Phocaean Red Slip Ware' and Bii amphorae sherds have been identified, by the present author, at the site of Collierstown 1, Co. Meath. One of the advantages of discovering Phocaean Red Slip Ware Form 3 on sites in Ireland is that it is instantly datable-to the late fifth and early sixth century AD-a valuable asset in an early medieval context; however, the main benefit in identifying this ware in Ireland is that its manufacture can be accurately and exclusively attributed to a centre in Asia Minor (modern Turkey); a provenance that has major implications for long-distance connectivity in the early medieval period. Similarly, the Bii amphorae discovered in Ireland, manufactured in the wider Cyprio-Syrian catchment area, have never been published as a group before and the present study attempts to redress this in presenting sixteen find-spots of Bii amphorae in Ireland; a marked increase on the two sites included in Thomas' 1959 catalogue reflective of Ireland's recent intensive road building schemes. This paper addresses the complexity of the trade network between north-western Europe and the eastern Mediterranean (and, more locally, between Ireland, Britain and France) in the early medieval period, thereby presenting hypothetical intermeshing trading models.