Opaque Glazed Wares: The Definition, Dating and Distribution of a Key Iraqi Ceramic Export in the Abbasid Period

Abstract

AbstractOpaque Glazed Wares represent one of the main glazed ware industries manufactured in Iraq during the Abbasid period. This type of pottery has attracted considerable attention within the field of Islamic ceramic research for a variety of reasons. Opaque Glazed Wares are central to our understanding of important technical and stylistic changes that occurred during the ninth century, which laid the foundations for many of the later glazed ware traditions represented across the Islamic world. They hold a key place in our understanding of the obvious flow of influences between the Middle East and China. Finally, Opaque Glazed Wares are represented on sites throughout the Middle East and across much of the Indian Ocean. As such, this glazed ware tradition is crucial for understanding the commercial spread of influence emanating from Iraq during the ninth and tenth centuries. This paper reviews some of the evidence for the definition, dating, provenance and distribution of this key Iraqi export in the Abbasid period.Keywords: Ceramic tradeIndian OceanOpaque Glazed WareSamarra horizonAbbasid