Samian ware

noun

1. a red-glazed terracotta pottery produced in Gaul and the Moselle Valley a.d. 100–300 and copied from Arretine ware.

Samian ware

noun

1. a fine earthenware pottery, reddish-brown or black in colour, found in large quantities on Roman sites

2. Also called: Arretine ware. the earlier pottery from which this developed, an imitation of a type of Greek pottery, made during the first century _bc at Arretium

Word History and Origins

Origin of Samian ware¹

First recorded in 1835–45; after classical references to a type of pottery produced at Samos, perhaps an imitation of the red-glazed ware produced in Gaul and Italy

Word History and Origins

Origin of Samian ware¹

C19: named after the island of _Samos , source of a reddish-coloured earth resembling terra sigillata, similar to the earth from which the pottery was made

Example Sentences

Metal detectors have been used on the site, turning up large quantities of lead, while other finds included high quality Samian ware pottery, made France, and exported all over the Roman Empire.

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It must be remembered that the Romans possessed no fine porcelain decorated with lively colours and a beautiful glaze; Samian ware was the most decorative kind of pottery which was then made.

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Bass, for instance, whose red pyramid to-day stamps authenticity on many a bottle, was in ancient times a well-known potter's name on the beautiful red Samian ware of the Romans.

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The great quantity of pottery found may be judged by the fact that upwards of 900 potters' stamps on Samian ware have been recorded.

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Roman lamps, tear vessels, and fragments of sacrificial vessels of Samian ware were met with chiefly towards the Cheapside corner of the churchyard.

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