Reynolds, Paul; (1991) Late Roman pottery and settlement in the Vinalopo Valley (Alicante, Spain): AD 400-700. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The road system from the late Republican to Arab period is outlined. Late Roman-Visigothic settlement in the Vinalopo Valley is then assessed. Particular attention is paid to the dating of sites. This is done with pottery from both survey and excavation and with a new typology of late Roman-Visigothic period pottery found in the region. Detailed observations on the source and distribution of pottery (local, regional and imported; fine wares, amphorae and coarse wares) in the Vinalop6 Valley are made, through time and by class and location of site. Special attention is paid to an analysis of the archaeological evidence for the Byzantine reconquest of south-eastern Spain and its effects on the supply of pottery to the Vinalopo Valley. The range and relative quantities of imported pottery found in the region are then compared with the distribution of imports on selected Western Mediterranean coastal sites. The work concentrates on the identification of distinct regional distribution patterns through time and the analysis of their significance. The relative roles of Tunisia and the Eastern Mediterranean, in particular, as exporters of foodstuffs and pottery to Western Mediterranean sites through the pre-Vandal, Vandal and Byzantine periods are outlined and discussed. Factors that may have dictated the regional distribution of potte.rj are suggested. Several major shipping routes and the independent distribution of Eastern Mediterranean and Tunisian goods are also suggested by this archaeological evidence. It is concluded that the supply of imports to Alicante through the 4th-7th centuries was dictated by changing political trends in "export policy", dependence to a lesser degree, and the region's location on or by major south-west Mediterranean shipping routes from the East and Tunisia. Contacts with Tunisia are particularly strong and somewhat exceptional from the 5th-mid 6th centuries. The Byzantine reconquest of south-east Spain maintained the strong links between Carthage and Cartagena, the capital of the Byzantine province, but not Alicante.

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