Alfar Romano de Cartuja

The Alfar Romano de Cartuja ("Roman potters' workshop of Cartuja") is located in Granada, Spain and was active from the 1st century CE to the end of the 4th century CE. The workshop was one of several branches in Southern Spain that was built to replace the earlier Albazian Workshop due to its closer proximity to raw materials. The site had three studios with ten kilns shared across them. This specific workshop produced pottery for the local Granada region, created Hispania Terra Sigillata for the purposes of exportation, and produced construction materials. The decorated ware manufactured at this site was highly reproduced using standardized molds and had little diversity in form. Because this workshop created both local smooth ware and decorated ware to be exported, it was important both for the local economy and the needs of the Granada area. The workshop was at the height of its production in the 2nd century CE. Afterwards, the workshop decreased production due to the increasing popularity of African Red Slip Ware.