Shaded by wine routes. Defining the market between Western Cyprus and Cilicia in the light of the study of the late antique thin-walled cooking pottery

Thin-walled cooking pottery represents a distinctive category of ceramic material linked to culinary practices in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Roman period. Archaeological evidence has identified its production centres in regions such as Cyprus, the Levant and Syria. This study focuses on one of the groups of thin-walled cooking pottery recovered from the Agora in Nea Paphos, Cyprus. A macroscopic analysis of the assemblage reveals a standardized production process, with manufacturing dated to the 6th and 7th centuries CE. The homogenous fabric composition observed across the samples suggested a shared source of the raw materials, most likely originating from southern Asia Minor. Cilicia is proposed as a key centre for both the manufacturing and distribution of these ceramics, reflecting its strategic role in regional trade and cultural exchange. The findings from the Agora in Nea Paphos indicate that the production and distribution of this group of thin-walled cooking pottery were closely tied to intensified inter-regional interactions between south-western Cyprus and the southern coastline of Asia Minor during this period.