Mapping Ottoman Pottery in the Balkans: A case study from Belgrade, Sofia and Varna (15th-19th century)

The archaeology of the Ottoman Empire has rarely been the focus of research and the period has often been neglected by scholars. Although a lot of information is available from the extensive historical record of the empire, the archaeological data is scarce. Pottery from the Ottoman period, however, is the exception and it has been the subject of a large number of publications. The aim of this research was to analyse the pottery assemblages from three cities - Belgrade, Sofia, and Varna, during the Ottoman period, from the 15th until the 19th century. Since historical sources mention that the cities are economically and demographically very different from each other, the research aimed to see if these differences were visible in the archaeological record. For that purpose, publications of Ottoman period pottery from the three cities were studied. The number and characteristics of both imported and local pottery vessels were noted and the gathered data was added to a database....Show moreThe archaeology of the Ottoman Empire has rarely been the focus of research and the period has often been neglected by scholars. Although a lot of information is available from the extensive historical record of the empire, the archaeological data is scarce. Pottery from the Ottoman period, however, is the exception and it has been the subject of a large number of publications. The aim of this research was to analyse the pottery assemblages from three cities - Belgrade, Sofia, and Varna, during the Ottoman period, from the 15th until the 19th century. Since historical sources mention that the cities are economically and demographically very different from each other, the research aimed to see if these differences were visible in the archaeological record. For that purpose, publications of Ottoman period pottery from the three cities were studied. The number and characteristics of both imported and local pottery vessels were noted and the gathered data was added to a database. Finally, this database was analysed and the results were compared with written evidence of trade and population change. The results showed noticeable differences in the pottery assemblages, during periods of migration and economic decay. For both Belgrade and Varna, the ratio of locally produced pottery made in the Ottoman tradition seemed to increase during periods of Muslim migration into the cities. Unfortunately, lack of local pottery data from Sofia prevented similar analysis. The economic situation in the cities also seemed to correlate to the type and amount of the imported ceramics they received. The decline in the economic strength of the Ottoman Empire could possibly be identified with the decline of the variety in both local and imported pottery. Overall, this thesis proves that combining both archaeological and historical data could provide us with a remarkably detailed picture of the processes not only in the Ottoman Empire, but also in every historical state. Further research could include new cities and regions into the dataset. This could allow for a better understanding of the economic and demographic processes within the Ottoman Empire.Show less

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Mapping Ottoman Pottery in the Balkans: A case study from Belgrade, Sofia and Varna (15th-19th century)