Fabric and technology
Hard, fine-textured, with slightly irregular fracture; distinguished by pale brown fabric (e.g. 10YR 8/4) with matt brownish-red slip (2.5YR 5/6) Inclusions of abundant fine red iron ore and sparse quartz and mica.
Chronology
Manufacture commences in Augustan period; plain and decorated wares exported to Britain from Neronian period until end of production in late Antonine period. In London, most is probably Flavian/Trajanic, but includes cache of nine stamped vessels from ‘second fire’ levels (Marsh 1981, 200-1).
Source
Montans (Tarn), in Aquitaine.
Distribution
A predominantly western French distribution, with extension into northern Spain; wide but thin distribution in Britain, as far as northern frontier (Hartley 1972, 42-5). but rarely more than a few sherds on most sites.
Aliases
Colchester fabric MT. JRPS bibliography fabric mts.
Bibliography
Bémont and Jacob 1986, 58-71. Some of the British material is described in Simpson 1976.
References
Bémont and Jacob 1986. Bémont, C. and Jacob, J.-P., La Terre sigillée gallo-romaine. Lieux de production du Haut Empire: implantations, produits, relations, Documents d’archéologie française, 6, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris, (1986).
Hartley 1972. Hartley, B. R., ‘The Roman occupation of Scotland. The evidence of samian ware’, Britannia, 3, (1972), pp. 1-55.
Marsh 1981. Marsh, G. D., ‘London’s samian supply and its relationship to the development of the Gallic samian industry’ in Roman Pottery research in Britain and North-West Europe. Papers presented to Graham Webster, ed. A. C. Anderson and A. S. Anderson, British archaeological reports. International series, 123, BAR, Oxford, (1981), pp. 173-238.
Simpson 1976. Simpson, G., ‘Decorated Terra Sigillata at Montans (Tarn) from the Manuscript of Elie Rossignol at Albi’, Britannia, 7, (1976), pp. 244-73.
