Invisible Connections: Late Hellenistic Ephesian Fine Wares on Delos

The article demonstrates that the visual and technological variability of ancient pottery is not merely a classificatory challenge but an expression of material agency that actively shaped patterns of production, circulation, and consumption in antiquity, as well as modern archaeological interpretation. The study of Late Hellenistic Ephesian fine wares recovered on Delos shows that vessels’ appearance resulted from interaction between pottery’s practices, material properties, and technological processes. Interdisciplinary research combining macroscopic and typological examinations with refiring tests, thin section petrography, and elemental analysis (WD-XRF) reveals that vessels displaying different colors, textures, and surface treatments belong to a single production group likely originating from the area of Ephesos. This variability helps explain the frequent misattribution of Ephesian fine wares on Delos and beyond. By refining macroscopic and technological characterization of this pottery, the study contributes to understanding ceramic supply to Delos and highlights the island’s role as a Roman-controlled commercial hub connecting Asia Minor with the wider Mediterranean during the Late Hellenistic period.