Ceramic standardisation as a window onto LM IA socioeconomic practices in Minoan Crete. New perspectives from Malia and Sissi

Malia and Sissi are centuries-old Minoan settlements located 4 km apart on the north-eastern coast of Crete, 40 km east of Knossos. Our current and collaborative research focuses on refining and comparing the respective local ceramic sequences to shed new light on the developments and changes in pottery traditions at both sites. The present paper aims to take a holistic approach to pottery production and consumption in relation to domestic contexts at Malia and Sissi during the LM IA period. Our aim is to assess the development of standardisation processes in the consumption and production of table, storage and cooking wares at two neighbouring sites by adopting a contextual approach: firstly, by comparing assemblages from a technical, typo-stylistic and functional perspective, including the assessment of potential sub-phases, and secondly, by highlighting and contextualising similarities and differences in the consumption and production of different categories of pottery from both sites.