Encoding tools and gestures of medieval potters: a traceological approach to reconstruct the protomaiolica wheel-finishing techniques, the case study of Cencelle (Tarquinia, Italy)

This study presents a systematic investigation of wheel-finishing techniques in Protomaiolica production, a fine tin-glazed tableware manufactured in southern Italy between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and widely distributed along the Latium coast and its inland areas. Although Protomaiolica played a central role in the cultural and economic life of medieval society, the complexity of its production processes remains only partially understood. Here, wheel-finishing is used as a proxy to identify the tools and gestures of medieval potters through the analysis of Protomaiolica vessels imported to Cencelle. A sistematic experimental programme was conducted using three types of pottery wheels, primitive, foot-powered, and electric, to assess the variability of technological finishing traces produced by different wheel systems. Combining experimental archaeology and traceological analysis, this study proposes an integrated approach for investigating medieval ceramic production from a technological perspective. The experimental programme provided a comparative dataset of recurrent technological traces, which proved useful for assessing potential relationships between archaeological evidence and potter’s gestures and tools. Overall, the results provide new insights into technological choices and the organisation of Protomaiolica production in the late Middle Ages, suggesting operational scenarios consistent with an internal structuring of workshop practices.