Pottery in context: Italic sites

The four papers in this section analyze the presence of Apulian red-figure pottery in funerary contexts among the three “archaeological cultures” of Apulia: Daunia (Corrente), Peucetia (Ciancio, Riccardi), and Messapia (Giannotta). Because of the continuity of life in this region many ancient settlements and sanctuaries still remain buried underneath modern towns, so the most numerous and best preserved examples of Apulian red-figure come from necropoleis. Moreover, the Apulian populations did not leave any written accounts, and we have to turn to archaeology to investigate their society and culture. Burials, with their emphasis on social stratification and classifications for age, gender, and status, provide excellent evidence to address cultural questions. For example, the three tombs analyzed by Marisa Corrente in her paper can be used as a case study to illustrate the creation of a social hierarchy in Canosa during the fourth century B.C.E. Artifacts could be used to communicate emotional states, group affiliations, rank, ownership and authorship, and religious and political beliefs to the rest of the community. In other words, a specific form of tomb, a funerary ritual, or the inclusion of specific items in the assemblage of grave goods could be interpreted as thematerial signal of the deceased's affiliation with a particular social group or his or her adherence to specific values or customs.