Since its discovery in the late 19th century, Naukratis has been recognised as one of the most important sites of the Archaic Mediterranean, situated at the crossroads between Greece and Egypt. The finds from Naukratis provide an indispensable body of material for the study of Greco-Egyptian relations, trade in the ancient Mediterranean, and the production of pottery in the cities of East Greece. The majority of the finds is held by the British Museum, which is a partner in an international project that is currently cataloguing and researching the pottery held in the Museum and in some 30 other collections across the world. The outcome of some of this research is presented in this volume, in addition to contributions by other international scholars. The volume is divided into three parts. The first part examines in detail some of the most important questions relating to the site of Naukratis, its cults and its inhabitants. The second parts presents the latest research on Archaic pottery from East Greek production centres. It presents material from new excavations and revisits old material from Naukratis and elsewhere, shedding light on the provenance of the pottery found at Naukratis as well as more generally on the various centres of East Greek pottery production. Of particular significance is the publication of the results of an extensive programme of scientific clay analysis, which for the first time anchors the place of production for many groups of pottery of previously uncertain origin, including local pottery produced at Naukratis in an idiosyncratic East Greek style. In the final part, historians and archaeologists examine the wider significance of Naukratis and its finds by setting them into the context of contacts and trade patterns across the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the Black Sea and Italy.
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