Ceramic production, recipes and technological choices in early medieval Walīla (Volubilis, Morocco)

In North Africa, archaeometric studies on early medieval ceramics remain limited. Past scholarship has focused largely on glazed wares, with little attention paid to the unglazed wheelmade and handmade wares which dominate archaeological assemblages; as a result, we still understand very poorly the technology and raw materials used to manufacture ceramics in the early Islamic world. This article presents the first comprehensive archaeometric analysis of the late 7th – early 10th century ceramic assemblage of the site of Walīla (Roman Volubilis, Morocco), one of the few early medieval towns to have been extensively excavated in North Africa. The large ceramic assemblage at the site as well as the recent discovery of medieval kilns offer an opportunity to study urban ceramic production and the supply of vessels for local consumption. Combined petrographic and chemical analysis (LA-ICP-MS) has revealed a wide range of recipes drawing on several different local sources. Handmade cooking pots, as well as wheelmade transport and service ceramics, were made using low-calcareous clay deposits, particularly enriched in alumina, while wheelmade tableware, cooking wares and jars were made using a highly calcareous clay deposits. Ceramics made with these clay deposits occur in the same contexts as the excavated kilns, confirming a local production. Limited early medieval regional and interregional trade in ceramics or their contents is attested by a small number of imports, including amphorae from Egypt. This study constitutes a first step toward a better understanding of urban ceramic economy in early medieval Morocco.