Portuguese olive jars. Production and distribution

Summary

For many years, archaeologists believed that the type of jar known as an 'olive jar' was exclusively made in Southern Spain. The possibility that Portuguese kilns also produced these jars was not considered, despite these botijas, being frequent references in Portuguese documents, particularly in reference to ships' cargos.

Until recently only a few olive jar sherds had been recovered in Portugal and, although we suspected a possible production due to the similarities between some olive jar fabrics and known Portuguese productions, the evidence was not sufficient.  However, a collection found in Aveiro, Portugal may shed some light into the distinction between Portuguese and Spanish jars. Although these were not found within a kiln site, their physical characteristics suggest that they were local production wastage. This paper aims to present information about these and other olive jars possibly produced in Portugal and provide an overview about their global distribution and use.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2018   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 613