This volume presents the Late Classical through Roman pottery from the University of Chicago excavations at Isthmia (1952-1989). In a series of three chapters - on the Late Classical and Hellenistic pottery, the Roman pottery, and the pottery from the Palaimonion - a general discussion is followed by a catalogue presenting datable contexts and then by a catalogue of other noteworthy pottery. Appendixes discuss the stratigraphy of the Palaimonion and observations on new and previously published lamps. Amphora stamps are the focus of a further appendix, followed by a catalogue of the Slavic and Byzantine pottery found in the sanctuary area. Although the pottery is sometimes fragmentary, the range of materials over this thousand-year period is typical of Corinthian sites. The finds presented here provide critical information about the history of the Panhellenic sanctuary of Poseidon and the ritual activities that took place there.

In the past, Roman pottery has been judged as inferior to Greek pottery. Recent excavations, however, have led to an increase in knowledge and appreciation of Roman wares. These wares now constitute an important body of evidence for the understanding of art, literacy and trade in the ancient world.

John W. Hayes, the acknowledged authority in this field, explains the particular features that mark Roman-period wares, concisely describing how the vessels were manufactured, decorated, traded and used. Placing the pottery in historical context, he describes its roots in the Hellenistic Greek tradition, its evolution as a distinct art form and its influence on Byzantine and Islamic trends.

Examples of Roman period red-gloss and red-slip pottery (terra sigillata) found during excavations in the Athenian Agora form the focus of this volume. These fine wares, like the other table wares of the first seven centuries A.D. discussed here, were all imported--a very different situation to earlier periods where Athens was known as a great ceramic-making center, and perhaps the result of mass destruction of potters' workshops during the Sullan sack of 86 B.C. While the image of a demolished pottery industry is tragic, the consequent conglomeration of fine-wares from many parts of the Roman empire in one city makes the Athenian Agora a tremendous source of comparanda for archaeologists working all round the Mediterranean. Written by the world's leading expert on Roman pottery, this huge catalogue illustrating and identifying multiple shapes and types of decoration will therefore be an essential reference book.