Byzantine Elements in Early Seljuk Pottery: Interaction in Glazed Ceramic Techniques

The production of Middle Byzantine glazed wares began in 7th-8th century Constantinople, and these early glazed wares were sold in the capital's markets and exported to the provinces of the empire. From the 7th century onwards, the lead-based glazing technique spread gradually and was probably established in a few provincial pottery centres of the empire by the end of the 9th or beginning of the 10th century. While some workshops produced characteristic, ornate sgraffito wares in the early second millennium for local or regional consumption, others began to export their products through regional trade networks from the 12th century onwards, meeting the consumption needs of both their own regional markets and distant markets on the Aegean and Asia Minor coasts. On the other hand, nomadic Turkoman groups, who raided the Byzantine Empire from the mid-10th century until the first quarter of the 11th century, continued their attacks as the Great Seljuks over time. With the Battle of Manzikert between the Byzantine Empire and the Great Seljuks, strategic points changed hands and with the Battle of Myriokephalon, the Seljuk presence in Asia Minor became a political entity. During this process, nomadic Turkoman groups and principalities affiliated with the Seljuks, who adopted a settled lifestyle, interacted with Byzantine art and culture. This process can be interpreted as the interaction between Byzantine, Turkish, Iranian, Arab and Islamic cultures. This study aims to examine the effect of the Byzantine-Seljuk interaction on underglaze ceramic techniques through the comparison of samples. The observation that there was no significant change in production techniques in the lands under Seljuk rule, and that only the elements in the decorative theme deviated from the usual schemes, constitutes the basic basis of this question.