Statistical approach to pottery quantification as ways to explore chronology, economy and culture of Roman and Late Antique settlements: the case of Artena (province of Rome)

Since 1995, Roger Lambrechts then Cécile Brouillard and Jan Gadeyne investigate the artificial terrace of the Piano della Civita at Artena, near Rome. The excavations have revealed a complex succession of different phases of occupation that span from the 4th century BC to the 7th century AD. The study of the ceramic assemblages from this site is an integrative part of my PhD dissertation.
An important part of the common ware has scarce parallels. Despite the identification of the phases of occupation, the stratigraphy and chronological sequence of the material is difficult to read due to multiple occupations and refurbishments of some buildings as well as soil erosion. These difficulties encountered on the field call for the application of different techniques to apprehend the chronology of the ceramic finds. Therefore, the assemblages (about sixty thousand sherds in stratigraphy) have few usable evidences outside themselves.
This paper discusses chronological, cultural and economic data that was extracted from these contexts, based on the assertions of contemporaneity of assemblages with similar features. Our methodology uses statistical tools such as the chi-squared tests and the linked correspondence analyses on types and fabrics to help refine the chronology of these wares. These methods are then used to do comparisons between the ware from Artena and other assemblages to further our knowledge of pottery traditions around Artena, which were fairly different from Rome and other well-known sites in Roman and Late Antique times in terms of economic and cultural patterns.
Statistical approaches are rare in studies on Italian ware; even quantifications are uncommon in the recent studies (except for amphora). Therefore, through the case-study of Artena, this paper aims to encourage the development of such techniques as a tool to provide further insights into pottery studies in Central Italy in the Roman and Late Antique periods.