The presentation will explore the role of pottery studies in deepening our understanding of medieval Islamic al-Andalus, between the 8th and 15th centuries. As one of the most common and abundant finds in archaeological sites, pottery is crucial archaeological evidence for reconstructing economic networks, technological developments, and cultural interactions across the region. The talk will succinctly describe the evolution of pottery studies, from early typological classifications to recent advances in archaeometry or contextual interpretation. With the substantial data set that exists for Andalusi pottery production, new insights were gained into patterns of trade, dietary habits, craft organization, and shifting identities within that society. Recent research has refined chronologies and revealed new dimensions of connectivity between al-Andalus and the wider Mediterranean. Therefore, ceramic evidence has the transformative potential to reinterpret the history of medieval Iberia beyond the limits of textual sources.

Dr. Gabriel Venturini de Souza is a visiting researcher from the Instituto de Estudos Medievais/Universidade NOVA de Lisboa-FCSH, Portugal. This event is supported by an OVPR Arts and Humanities Initiative Grant and the Department of Anthropology.