Wczesnośredniowieczne naczynia szkliwione z terenu zachodniej Małopolski

Glazed pottery from the cemetery and settlement in Strzemieszyce Wielkie and the settlement in Dąbrowa Górnicza-Łosień is the subject of the analyses presented in this article. They were subjected to a technological analysis, including microscopic examination and chemical composition analyses of the glaze and ceramic bodies. The results have confirmed local production of the vessels and have shown that they were made in different workshops instead of in a single production center. Glazed ceramics from western Małopolska (Little Poland) were formed of ferruginous clays and coated with lead glazes after drying. Pottery of this kind started to be produced most probably in the middle of the 11th century, permitting this group of products to be classified as one of the earliest of its kind in Europe. The emergence and development of this branch of the ceramic craft was influenced by a convenient location on the trade routes connecting Rus with Western Europe and the nearness of lead ore deposits essential for glaze production.