Prospections in Steene-Pitgam: analysis of a set of sigillated earthenware

Over the past few years, the amateur archaeologist Ph. Ducrocq systematical ly prospected the surroundings of the communes of Steene-Pitgam. The eleven "dumping grounds" of archaeological artefacts that he located belong to an extensive roman salt extraction site. Among the pottery material, sigillat ed earthenware occupies a significant position. The typological, stylistic and quantitative analysis of this pottery brings chronological precisions r egarding the Gallo-Roman occupation in Steene-Pitgam, and testifies of a de velopment of the site in the 2nd century. The set of terra sigillata remain s stretches from the Nero period to the middle of the 3rd century. From the economic point of view one can assert that this site was supplied by the w orkshops of the south, the center and the east of Gaul. The analysis of the Steene-Pitgam terra sigillata earthenware allows to add new elements to th e study of this pottery in northern France and to tackle at the same time s ome general issues. Nevertheless, it remains obvious that results gathered from surface material must be confronted with well confined contexts from t he site and with other regional sites.