The production and distribution of cooking pots in two towns of South East Spain in the 6th-11th centuries

This paper presents a first approach to the petrographic analysis of ceramics in the early medieval Vega of Granada (south east Spain) between the 6th and the 11th centuries. The cooking wares of two sites of the Vega with urban character, Ilbira and Garnata, are considered. They were, at different times, political capitals of the area and the production and distribution of their ceramic products have much to tell us about the nature and extent of their authority. The petrographic study shows that the assemblages of cooking pots retrieved at each site have characteristic fabric groups that allow us to relate to production centres in the vicinity of the site, if not in the site itself. Furthermore, the petrographic analysis proves that a small number of vessels move between the sites. The pattern of this movement is consistent with the historical and archaeological background of the Vega of Granada.