Wares of this type are usually referred to as African Red Slipware, and they were specific to the African province of the Roman Empire. Most pottery workshops are known from modern Tunisia and Algeria, and they were active from the 1st century until the 7th century AD. African Red Slipware is identified as the final development of terra sigillata, from the Latin, meaning ‘sealed earth’. Terra sigillata was a form of Roman red slipware pottery, which was developed around the mid-1st century BC, both for domestic use and export.
Roman pottery was used for utilitarian purposes and widely produced throughout the empire in specialised workshops, which created distinctive forms blending local and Roman decorative traditions and production styles. A broad division between ‘coarse’ and ‘fine’ ware is normally used to classify the wide range of Roman vessels; the former being used for storage and transportation purposes, the latter comprising serving vessels or tableware with intricate relief or painted decorations. Fine wares were used for more formal occasions and can be distinguished by its thin walls and glossy surface. Coarse wares usually had thicker walls to withstand the rough use in kitchens and other areas. They were cheaper items and had plain surfaces, slaves and those in poverty would usually only be able to afford coarse for their table ware instead of fine wares.
