This thesis is a comprehensive investigation of Roman African cookwares that examines their contribution to studies on the consequences of the incorporation of Africa into the Roman imperial economy. It aims to synthesise and analyse the most significant evidence and examines how the flow of capital, technical knowledge and people, between provinces and regions, affected production, trade and distribution trends. The technology and organisation of Roman African cookware production are examined first, in order to create a solid foundation for the following distribution study. Scientific analyses of African cookware samples from production and consumption sites offer important additions to our knowledge of the fabric composition, technical superiority, provenance and movement of these wares around the Mediterranean. The key discussion focuses on the commercial dynamics of Roman African cookwares from local, regional and Mediterranean-wide perspectives. Beginning at the production sites, the research investigates the management and transportation of these wares from major ports in Africa Proconsularis to Mediterranean ports, and beyond. A chronological assessment of the evolution of cookware production and trade in relation to periods of political and economic change reveals the significant contribution these wares can make towards tracing and even anticipating major stages in the evolution and eventual decline of Roman economic systems. Other key achievements include the creation of a new illustrated typology with profile drawings of all the cookware forms; a gazetteer of all known African cookware production sites and the forms they produced; and a synthesis and catalogue of African cookware fabrics. The importance of this research lies in the fact that although the abundance of Roman African cookwares on Mediterranean sites is well recognised, a catalogue and analysis of production and trade has never previously been attempted.

Cette recherche doctorale porte sur l’analyse des « céramiques communes à pâte grossière » issues de 4 fouilles archéologiques de la Vénétie : celles de la cathédrale de Padoue, de Rocca de Monselice (Padoue), du château de Montagnone à Montegrotto Terme (Padoue) et de l’ancien cinéma Astra à Chioggia (Venise). Cette recherche se focalise plus particulièrement sur la « céramique commune à pâte grossière » employée pour l’usage culinaire à l’échelle de la Vénétie. Elle vise à mieux comprendre les changements de morphologies, de matières premières employées mais également de fonctionnalité entre le IVe et le XIV siècle apr. J.-C. Dans le cadre de ce travail, cette catégorie de céramique a été étudiée à travers une approche pluridisciplinaire associant, à la démarche d’archéologique et de typologique classique, des observations pétrographiques et des analyses chimiques de résidus organiques. La combinaison de ces expértises a permis d’observer :• une évolution typologique à l’échelle de la période chronologique investie pour la région de Padoue ces dernières ayant été confrontée avec des données déjà publiée pour la région de la Vénétie et des territoires limitrophes ;• des caractéristiques pétrographiques et un changement des « recettes » de pâtes employées dans la production de la céramique pour les usages culinaires ;• certains aspects fonctionnels des céramiques, notamment sur pour artefacts retrouvés lors de la fouille de la cathédrale de Padoue, permettant même de proposer des hypothèses sur les habitudes alimentaires ;• un lien entre l’évolution des « céramiques communes à pâte grossière » et les dynamiques économiques et politiques régionales. / The aim of this research is the study of cooking wares, founded in 4 archaeological sites of Veneto region (North-eastern Italy): the archaeological excavation near the Padua cathedral, the archaeological excavation of Rocca di Monselice Castle (PD); the archeological sites of Montagnone of Montegrotto Terme castle; and the excavation in the ex-cinema Astra in Chioggia (VE). Therefore the object of this research is to observe over long time (from 4th to 14/15th century) the cooking wares of a small territory of Veneto region, the central-eastern part, to understand the evolutional change of morphologies, the origins of raw materials and the pottery function.The pottery was studied with the exploitation of different techniques and methodologies: the archaeological and typological approach; the petrographical analysis and the organic residue analysis. This method allowed the observation of:$\begin{itemize}\item the pottery morphological evolution, over long time in a small territory, taking into account also the published ceramic datas of Veneto and the nearest regions;\item the petrographical characteristic and the different use of ceramic paste over a log term for the cooking wares;\item for the archaeological site of Padua cathedral, the functional aspect of pottery. This aspect permits to speculate on the diet habits;\item the link between the cooking and coarse wares and the historical and economical aspects of Veneto. \end{itemize}$Finally this research gives a database to better understand the production characteristics of Paduan cooking wares.