| Summary: | The distribution of ceramic wares in the eastern Mediterranean of the Middle to Late Bronze Age has been the subject of intensive study for many decades. In particular, the movement of Cypriot and Mycenaean wares to Egypt and the Levant has been used to elucidate trading mechanisms and/or synchronise the chronology of the region. During the course of these studies, passing comment has been made about the circulation of small narrow-necked ceramic vessels and the commodities they might have contained. Such vessels included Cypriot Base Ring juglets and Mycenaean stirrup jars that probably contained a valued commodity such as perfumed oil. The widespread distribution of these products has become linked to the production of low-cost, value-added goods to sub- and lower elite portions of society. Most observations on juglets to date have come from studies of single wares and/or high profile imports. This PhD research represents the first systematic investigation of the circulation of juglets as a functionally-distinct form rather than as a ware. Juglets offer a fine-grained dataset for examining wider issues related to commodity production, distribution and consumption. The circulation of juglet commodities can thereby be viewed against a background of local consumption practices. The chronological depth and spatial breadth of this study offer an opportunity to trace developments in the social and economic significance in the intra- and inter-regional distribution of this form, contributing also to an understanding of changing inter-regional contacts throughout the eastern Mediterranean. This analysis presented here addresses patterns of production (including evidence for regionalism and specialist manufacture), consumption strategies within and between societies and over time, as well as producer-consumer dynamics such as bilateral trade links, selective marketing and branding.
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