The Athenian Agora, volume XXXIII. Hellenistic Pottery: The Plain Wares, 2007, 428 p. -

This book presents 847 examples of Hellenistic plain wares from the well-stratified excavations of the Athenian Agora. These pieces include oil containers, household shapes, and cooking pottery. A typology of these ceramics, based on both form and fabric, is followed by a chronology, using the fact that many of the pieces were found in "closed contexts" like wells. Finally, the author discusses the possible functions of the ceramic shapes found, and uses them to reconstruct some of the domestic and industrial activities of Hellenistic Athenians. "This volume will stand as a fitting capstone to a project of long duration, and it will enjoy many, many years as a vital and easy-to-use reference work." Andrea Berlin, University of Minnesota