Abstract:

This article covers the twenty-eight embossed skyphoi found between 2018 and 2020 during the excavations of the ancient city of Blaundos, located within the borders of Sülümenli Village of Ulubey District of Uşak Province. While the majority of the skyphoi were discovered on the western, southern, and northwestern slopes of the city, some of them were unearthed during the excavations carried out in the propylon and the main street. These skyphoi were evaluated in seven different groups: pinecone, imbricated leaf, long petal, floral, figured, embossed dot, and other pieces. The clay, slip, form, and decoration features of the skyphoi in Blaundos are similar to the Laodikeia and Tripolis samples from which the Lycos Skyphoi were produced. Therefore, the dating suggested for the skyphoi from Laodikeia and Tripolis, ranging from the second half of the 1st century BCE to the end of the 1st century CE, has also been proposed for the Blaundos skyphoi. The Lycos Skyphoi, which were produced as the contemporaries of Lead-Glazed Ceramics, and thought to have continued to be in use until the end of the 1st century CE, were not produced only for the local needs of the Lycos Valley settlements. The presence of skyphos of this type in Blaundos indicates that they were also exported to the neighboring cities. The limited number of finds of Lycos Skyphoi in Anatolia must be related to the preference for Lead-Glazed Ceramics, which were more popular in the period they were produced.

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