P. Petridis

La ceramique protobyzantine de Delphes P. Petridis

It has long been considered that the closing of the oracle marks the end of the town of Delphi, without due regard for the subsequent period which extends to the definitive abandon of the site towards the third decade of the seventh century. Nonetheless, architectural remains from this period, as well as the artefacts that have come to light, contradict this widespread opinion and prove the existence of a town, which, while not as important as a metropolis, spread out around, but also into the ancient sanctuary area. This town imported and, in particular, produced good quality pottery. The installations uncovered during the systematic excavations by the Ecole francaise d'Athenes, in part a collaboration with the Xth Ephorate of Prehistorical and Classical Archaeology, document a medium-sized industry, producing a very extensive range of pottery for domestic or artisanal use. In spite of the political and economic difficulties, either attested or simply supposed for the period from the second half of the sixth to the beginning of the seventh century in Greece, this craft remained open to the tendencies of the time and maintained a continuous contact with the other local industries of Central Greece and the Peloponnese.