Exploring matt-painted pottery at Incoronata, Basilicata, Italy. Craft and contexts of consumption

This paper aims to discuss the craft-related issues of matt-painted pottery, along with their function and patterns of consumption within the contexts uncovered at Incoronata in Southern Italy. This Oenotrian site, under archaeological investigation since 1971 and located only 7 km from the Ionian coast in present-day Basilicata, has been occupied since the 9th century BC. While its earliest phase was marked solely by indigenous presence, by the early 7th century BC, it became a place of interaction with Aegean communities, making Incoronata a crucial site for understanding Greek-Indigenous relations prior to the founding of the Greek colony of Metaponto. Starting with an examination of the indigenous contexts and then moving to the Greek-Indigenous mixed contexts, this paper will highlight the use of matt-painted pottery as prestigious items in ritual activities. Observations on the pottery’s craftsmanship, including details on the quality and execution of the vessel production, will also be examined to provide a better understanding of these artifacts.