Pottery Production intheTroad Ancient and Modern Akk5y By Billur Tekkdk-Biqken I HAVE OVERSEEN THE ANALYSIS OFGREEK AND ROMAN POTTERY at Ilionsince 1992, and in thecourse of mywork, I have consistently attempted tounderstand andreconstruct the ancientceramic production and distribution systems that wereinusehere in antiquity. 1 Ilion islocated inthe north- western part of Turkey ina region called the Troad, which has long beenfamous for its locally-produced pottery. In one small village not far from Ilion, named Akk6y, pottery production is still being done without theassistance ofmodern technol- ogy. During thecourseofsix summers, from 1992to 1998, I visited Akk6y monthly and observed all aspects of the ceramic industry there, from the quarrying ofthe clay to thedistribu- tionofthefinished product. My hope was that this broader perspective on the Akk6y production system would suggest to me a new range of questions that I coulduse in myanalysis oftheGreek andRoman ceramic industry at Ilion. In this arti- cle I provide a brief description oftheTroad and its principal city, Canakkale, followed by a detailed examination of the pot- tery industry at Akk6y I also indude a few examples of similarities between ancient and modern production technologies. The Troadis well-known due to theidentification ofthe site ofIlion with the Homeric city of Troy(Strabo13.1.27; Leaf 1923:xxvii-xxxiv, 144-46). The most dominant geographical feature inthis areais the Ida mountain range, which runs along the southern half ofthe Troad. Both the western andsouthern coastsare fairly mountainous; theinterior is marked by the Scamander river basin (Cook 1973:1-3). A detailed study of the region, with special reference to Strabo's geography, was first carried out by Walter Leaf (1912, 1923), andthen byJohn Cook (1973) who also dealt withthe travelers, journalists and aris- tocratic families living in this region from thesixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Cook briefly notedthe glazedpottery production in Canakkale and unglazed pitchers (testls) at Akk6y (1973:52-53, 274-75). The city of Canakkale, twenty-five kmnorth of Troy, is located atthe entrance tothe Dardanelles/Hellespont. Itisthe site of a major port, which was well-known as lateas the eigh- teenth century, and continues in use today. The Qanakkale region was one of several major production centersfor glazed pottery from theseventeenth century onwards. The technique of pottery production used today essentially repre- sents a continuation ofthe Byzantine style of glazing (Cook 1973:53; Lane 1957:65-67; Oney 1971:49; Talbot Rice 1930:48).2 A Modern kiln at Canakkale used for glazed pottery. > A glazed bowl from 7anakkale. Photo by Rick Bullard. The name "Canakkale," which was used officially after 1890, owes its origin to themanufacture of glazedpottery soldto ships passing through the port (in Turkish fanak "bowl" + kale "castle"). Although the traditional glazing technique is still being 94 Near Eastern Archaeology 63:2 (2000)