Eastern Sigillata Ceramic Cup

Fragments of a cup (drinking vessel) made of terra sigillata (Eastern Sigillata A), with straight sides slightly flaring outward.

The cup belongs to one of the most recognizable and widespread categories of fine Roman pottery: so-called sigillata ware. This class consists of fine tableware used for serving and consuming food and beverages and is characterized by a glossy red slip. This particular example belongs to an eastern production known as Eastern Sigillata A, manufactured in the Syro-Palestinian region from approximately the mid-2nd century BC to the early 3rd century AD. The presence of this vessel at Capo Colonna attests to the active commercial exchanges within the eastern Mediterranean and the integration of the site into the economic networks of the Roman Empire. An impressed workshop stamp is preserved on the base of the vessel, a distinctive feature that allows the identification of the producer or production center and is useful for dating and determining the provenance of the artifact.