The relief decoration on this bowl was applied to the surface just after the vessel was shaped, while the clay was still damp. Using small coils of clay, called barbotines, the potter wrote the following phrase in Greek: "Hail, pot merchants!" Under the bowl there appears a Greek letter, also in relief, in a medallion surrounded by large dots. After the vessel had dried, but before it was baked, the surface was coated with a red glaze made of very pure diluted clay that would produce a lustrous finish. This type of ceramic was produced mainly in the potters' shops of Arezzo, a town in Italy, and exported throughout the Mediterranean area. However, the large quantity of vessels like this one found in Syria suggests that some of them could have been made in local potter's shops.
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