“Sweet dreams are made of this”: sugar and ceramics production in the 11th-16th cent. Western Mediterranean

Sugar production and consumption had a huge impact on European social, cultural and economic development since medieval times. The introduction of sugar cultivation entailed knowledge transfer and new technological requirements, such as the manufacture of sugar pots, used for the crystallization of the sugar, which require a specific design, thermal and mechanical properties.

The seminar presents a summary of the results of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie funded project, spoteu, which focuses on Sicily and Spain, the two main regions for sugar production in Western Europe in the 11th-16th centuries AD.

Sugar pots from these regions were assessed from a morphological, technological and performance point of view aided by instrumental analysis. The comparison with reference ceramic materials and written records allows for the investigation of the scale of ceramic production and exchange networks, as well as potters’ technological choices in the construction of these on-purpose vessels.