Matt-painted pottery from the region around the Great Lakes (Ohrid, Prespa, Maliq). New chronological evidence

This study re-examines the matt-painted pottery tradition of the Great Lakes region, encompassing the Ko rçë basin in Albania and the Ohrid basin in North Macedonia, through a multidisciplinary lens combining stratigraphy, typology, and absolute chronology. Originating in the Korçë valley during the transitional period between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, matt-painted pottery has often been interpreted within isolated, nationally framed archaeological narratives. This research challenges such interpretations by demonstrating the regional coherence and synchronicity of the phenomenon across modern political borders. Drawing upon recent excavations and updated radiocarbon and dendrochronological data – particularly from the site of Sovjan – this study situates the initial appearance of matt-painted pottery in the second half of the 11th century BC. It further clarifies the absence of such ceramics in pile-dwelling/wet-land settlements along Lake Ohrid, which were abandoned following a seismic event around 1200 BC. This event, along with a similar hydrological shift in the Korçë valley during the 8th century BC, played a crucial role in shaping the region’s settlement patterns and material culture. The study also critiques the continued use of the term ‘Devoll style’ pottery, proposing instead the more geographically inclusive designation ‘matt-painted pottery of the Great Lakes region’. This reframing helps to deconstruct older nationalist and cultural-historical frameworks while affirming the shared cultural development of the region. By integrating material, environmental, and chronological data, the study redefines the matt-painted pottery tradition as a key marker of Early Iron Age cultural identity in the Great Lakes region.