Red Lustrous Wheel-made ware (RLWm ware) forms a distinctive group of vessels found mostly in Late Bronze Age temples and tombs across the Eastern Mediterranean. It occurs in many forms but predominantly as storage/transport vessels.
The fabric is extremely consistent, both chemically and petrographically, which has led archaeologists to assume a single place of manufacture. Before 1400 BC RLWm ware is found mostly in Cyprus and southwards, usually with Cypriot pottery. After 1400 BC, with the rise of the Hittite Empire, RLWm ware is found mostly in Cyprus and northwards into Anatolia. In these contexts it is not associated with any Cypriot pottery. Wherever it has been found this pottery has always been classed as “foreign”, and various sources from Syria to Turkey and Cyprus have been proposed (Eriksson 1993, p 4 – 17; Knappett 2000). Its origins remain a mystery but identifying its source would give new insights into international relationships across the eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age (Eriksson 1993, p 1 – 3).
As part of an ongoing study to examine the organic residues associated with Red Lustrous Wheel-made ware vessels, we have conducted a pilot study to test the preservation of lipids at two different sites - Kazaphani (Cyprus) and Boğazköy (Turkey). A number of different forms have been examined, including pilgrim flasks and spindle bottles. Project Aims To determine whether organic residues survive within RLWm ware sherds from two different sites. To identify any residues present.
Eriksson, K. O. (1993) Red Lustrous Wheel-made Ware, Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology, Volume CIII, Jonsered. Knappett, C. (2000) The Provenance of Red Lustrous Wheel-made Ware: Cyprus, Syria or Anatolia?, Internet Archaeology, 9.