Panel 3.12 – Pre-modern Industrial Districts

Organiser/Chair:

• Michael Herdick (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum)
• Angelika Hunold (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum)
• Holger Schaaff (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum)

Speakers:

• Angelika Hunold (RGZM)
  The ancient quarrying and mining district between the Eifel and the Rhine. A summary of research
• Lutz Grunwald and Sibylle Friedrich (RGZM)
  Pottery production for the european market. The Roman and Medieval potter’s workshops of Mayen and Weißenthurm
• Gregor Döhner and Michael Herdick (RGZM)
  Technical-historical Comparison of Pottery Districts: Desiderata and Experimental Archaeological Research Prospects
• Stefan Wenzel (RGZM)
  Transport of heavy loads on inland waterways
• Holger Schaaff (RGZM)
  Archaeology of unimagined dimensions. The roman potteries of Speicher and Herforst

The ancient quarrying and mining district of the Eastern Eifel has been the subject of research by the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum since 1997. Over the years, mining techniques, production of and trade in the valuable volcanic rocks, and settlement structures have all been investigated in detail. The products – primarily basalt lava millstones, tuffstone building material, and pottery – were extensively traded throughout much of Europe for centuries. A research programme named „The origin and formation of an industrial landscape – the ancient quarrying and mining district between the Eifel and the Rhine" was launched to examine the wealth of evidence about the ancient mining economy in the region and its significance for the political establishment of Rome north of the Alps. A series of individual studies contributed to the subject, among them several doctoral theses. The programme was accompanied by the development of the Vulkanpark Osteifel, which received twice an Europa Nostra Award for the valuation of this outstanding industrial heritage. The archaeological research falls into four categories: - the stone industry (basalt, tuffstone, pumice) - the economic centre of Mayen - the pottery production - the rural area. These categories engage with each other and as a whole they allow a full understanding of the district's significance. Currently, the project is completed except research on the pottery production which is just in its final phase. Experimental archaeology, too, continues to investigate the potter's production conditions. Another aspect which has lead to further studies is the waterway transport of the heavy goods. Being an industrial district of supraregional importance, the quarrying and mining district of the Eastern Eifel turned out an excellent case study for pre-modern industrial districts in general. So it provided a model how to study ancient industries: In a long-term view and with a holistic approach, that means taking into account economic, social and settlement aspects. As a consequence, pre-modern industrial districts were integrated into the research field „Wirtschaft und Technik" at the RGZM as a subject of further research. Looking for a comparable district, we started to investigate the ancient pottery centre of Speicher near Trier. It was most likely in a way connected to the Late Roman Imperial residence and therefore offers quite different interesting aspects for research.

1. Angelika Hunold (RGZM)

The ancient quarrying and mining district between the Eifel and the Rhine - a summary of research
The ancient quarrying and mining district between the Eifel and the Rhine – a summary of research
The ancient quarrying and mining district of the Eastern Eifel has been the subject of research by the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz and Mayen since 1997. The products – primarily basalt lava millstones, tuffstone building material, and pottery – were extensively traded throughout much of Europe for many centuries.
An extensive research programme was launched to examine the wealth of evidence about the ancient mining economy in the region and its significance for the political establishment of Rome north of the Alps. A series of individual studies contributed to the subject, among them several doctoral theses. They engage with each other and as a whole they allow a full understanding of the district’s significance.
Being an industrial district of supraregional importance, the district of the Eastern Eifel turned out an excellent case study for the investigation of pre-modern industrial districts in general. So it provided a model for studying ancient industries: In a long-term view and with a holistic approach, that means taking into account mining techniques, production and trade, but also social aspects and settlement structures. As a consequence, pre-modern industrial districts were integrated into the research field „Wirtschaft und Technik“ at the RGZM as a subject of further research.

2. Lutz Grunwald and Sibylle Friedrich (RGZM)

Pottery production for the european market – the Roman and Medieval potter’s workshops of Mayen and Weißenthurm
The ceramic produced in Mayen belongs to one of the „index fossils„ of archaeological investigation, not only for the late Antique, but also for the Middle Ages. Focusing on the local pottery workshops and clay deposits in Mayen, this paper presents the „Mayener Ware“ and also gives a summary of ceramic production in the area of the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers from the 1st to 14th centuries AD. Based on new distribution maps, it is possible to reassess the distribution of the Mayen vessels during the late Antique and Carolingian Period. Furthermore, due to the amount of exports, it is possible to theorize that the trade and export to the key markets was state regulated.
In Weißenthurm during the Roman Period, there was a surparegional production center for high-quality coarse ceramic. Its appearance and workmanship differ from other contemporary pottery, which makes the so-called Urmitzer Wares easy to recognize at other archaeological sites. Even today the Urmitzer Wares are used as a chronological “index fossil” for the so-called Niederbieber Horizon. However, new research has shown that the chronological timespan is much broader than previously thought, and the creation of a geochemical-mineralogical database makes it now possible to determine the export region. Even the exclusiveness of the production center in Weißenthurm has now been called into question.

3. Gregor Döhner and Michael Herdick (RGZM)

Technical-historical Comparison of Pottery Districts: Desiderata and Experimental Archaeological Research Prospects
In spite of innumerable firings with reconstructed Antique and Medieval pottery kilns, there is still no transparent production data from kilns of different epochs from any major ceramic production center in Europe. There is an underlying deficiency of in-depth investigations of archaeological pottery kiln complexes; research into the available raw clay resources, its preparation and final composition of the prepared clay is often neglected. From a ceramic technological point of view, the kilns and the wares fired in them must be seen and analyzed as a single technological system. The type of vessel with its specific requirements, such as how they were stacked and fired, is just as influential for the production process as the construction of the kiln itself. A technological assessment of a kiln construction is not feasible, without first taking into account the process of the specific pottery being produced.
At the RGZM Lab for Experimental Archaeology, experimental archaeological research is being carried out that focuses on the technical history of the Mayen pottery center. Using this research as an example, we would like to present how such trendsetting investigation models could look like. The starting point of the project, which started in 2014, is an experimental archaeological evaluation of a Late Antique shaft kiln, as well as the accompanying studies of the material resources of the Mayen potteries.

4. Stefan Wenzel (RGZM)

Transport of heavy loads on inland waterways
The river Nette connected the Roman quarry and mining district around Mayen with the important waterway of the Rhine. Starting from the Nette the arguments are presented which speak for the use also of other small water courses for heavy load transport in Antiquity. In this context special reference is given to the distribution of Roman workshops, storehouses and funerary monuments along small rivers.

5. Holger Schaaff (RGZM)

Archaeology of unimagined dimensions - the roman potteries of Speicher and Herforst
In archaeology it has been known for at least 150 years that between Speicher and Herforst in Roman times there existed a pottery centre of European importance. At that place, enormous quantities of pottery were produced from the 2nd to the 5th centuries. A walk through forest and fields still reveals the dimensions of production. The uneven ground, stone accumulations and masses of ceramic sherds show that the potteries lie very close to the surface. Over time, more than 30 larger workshop complexes were discovered, each of them consisting of several buildings, ceramic furnaces and clay pits, spread over an area of more than 2,5 km2.
However because of its large extension, the pottery centre despite many find observations and excavations never could be examined comprehensively. Therefore, an association of archaeologists from Landesarchäologie Trier, Frankfurt University and Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz now want to investigate the potteries with state-of-the-art methods. They receive great support from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Vienna, sending specialists for geophysical surveys.
The aim is to finally appreciate the international significance of these large Roman enterprises. A start has already been made: First geophysical investigations as well as a test excavation show very promising results. Obviously the pottery centre was even larger than we thought it was.