Regions and regional variations in Hellenistic Central Asia: what pottery assemblages can tell us

Abstract

Regions play an important part in scholarly discussions on Hellenistic Central Asia. Most commonly the concept of regions is determined by historically testified administrative entities. They also form the basis for many art-historical and archaeological considerations which seek to define specific regional characteristics. At the same time, such qualities are often used to define regional boundaries or elucidate political relationships. Taking the perspective of ceramic evidence, we highlight the complexities of interpreting pottery assemblages with regard to regional identities and inter-regional variations. Examining the different properties of ceramics, including their form, surface appearance and decoration, we demonstrate how changeable the notion of ‘region’ can be in this context. Distinct criteria and even minor chronological variations lead to the description of different regions, showing that we should use such definitions with care.