The archaeological park of Metaponto includes the urban sanctuary, the agora, the so-called castrum romanum, a sector of the Imperial port, the road network and the Kerameikos situated by the north gate. Here, excavations revealed occupation evidence beginning in the second half of the 6th century B.C., coinciding with the great urbanisation of the centre, and continuing until the 3rd century B.C. when the city suffered the consequences of its defeat by Rome and the departure of the Greek mercenary armies. The excavation uncovered the structures of the potters’ quarter in an area between a road and the line of the northern fortifications. Diverse craft working structures were identified, characterised by the presence of small kilns, rooms for storing pottery, settling tanks and tanks for clay processing. Wasters from the production of black glaze and figured wares were found. As well as the known activity of the Lucanian painters of Creusa and Dolone the proto-Lucanian painters of Pisticci and Amikos may have been working here. In 2005 the limit of the craft working quarter was identified, situated up against the E-W stenopos, running parallel to the line of the fortifications.
The excavation documented the chronology of the entire quarter. Occupation by artisans of the area between the stenopos, the N-S plateia and the north walls began as early as the second half of the 6th century B.C. At the end of the 5th century B.C. the structures reached the southern limit of the block, as attested by the two pithoi, already identified in 1977, and several floor levels made with kiln wasters. Occupation continued without any notable interruption throughout the course of the 4th century. Only in the last phase of activity, end of the 4th-first half of the 3rd century B.C., do the workshops seem to diminish in number and move north again, up against the city walls. At present it is not possible to form a hypothesis regarding the overall function and layout of the entire block: the excavation area is still rather limited in size. However, the presence of material datable to the end of the 3rd-2nd century B.C. with obvious firing faults (rim of a large cup with painted decoration, mould for a Megarian type cup), indicates the possibility of the area being involved in a later production phase. (MiBAC)