Port St. Symeon Ware in the County of Tripoli

Abstract

This article will discuss the published evidence for the presence of Port St. Symeon ware, produced in the principality of Antioch and kingdom of Cilician Armenia, found in the county of Tripoli. The amount of Port St. Symeon ware found in the county of Tripoli is among the greatest found outside of the principality of Antioch and the kingdom of Cilician Armenia, where it was produced, and therefore is of importance for our general understanding of Port St. Symeon ware. This article will first briefly examine the history of the county of Tripoli and its political and commercial relationships to the principality of Antioch, before turning to the Port St. Symeon ware found in the course of the excavations at Tripoli and Tell 'Arqa. The general characteristics of Port St. Symeon ware will be discussed, and then the specific characteristics of the pottery from the two sites will be examined. As only one piece of Port St. Symeon ware has been published from Tell 'Arqa, the material from Tripoli will form the bulk of the examination. The forms and iconography of the Port St. Symeon ware pottery will be then be discussed and how it relates to Port St. Symeon ware found in excavations outside of the county of Tripoli. Finally, this article will conclude with what can be stated about the trade between the principality of Antioch and the county of Tripoli based upon the ceramic evidence and how new finds may help transform our understanding of Port St. Symeon ware in the wider region.