ARS and local wares from a late antique site in the Bay of Naples

Import, imitation, and market segments

Abstract

This paper studies the African Red Slip ware and its imitations from the Roman villa with baths in Pollena Trocchia. The
site lies on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, in the ancient territory of Naples, and provides one of the largest datasets for late
antique Campania. The ARS is 12 % of the entire assemblage and one third of the tableware. Hayes forms 61 and 91 are
the most common types in both ARS and its imitations. Overall the assemblage shows strict similarities with the evidence in
Naples, although less variety is noted among the types. In the final part, this contribution suggests that ARS and its imitations
covered a specific market segment, rather than complementing the local products and provides a workingk hypothesis
of a multi-layered distribution system.