Samian; Samian Ware
A highly decorated type of Roman red pottery, usually coming from somewhere in Gaul (Roman France). The original Samian came from the island called Samos in the Mediterranean. The decorative elements, impressed and moulded forms, often showing legends frequently changed with fashion. Comparisons of the various decorations and shapes of the vessels can usually produce an accurate date of the layer that they were deposited in.
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