During the course of excavations at Byrsa, the acropolis of Carthage, conducted by French archaeologist, certain fragments of pottery were brought to light which are distinctly out of their context; objects such as bowls decorated inside with four crossed spirals in verdigris greenand manganese brown, plus lead glazing. This type of pottery is widespread in central and southern Italy and in Sicily, and has emerged in a number of excavations. The various stages in the development of the glazing technique indicate that it lasted for a long period, while it is possible to give an approximate date on account of its presence in foundations of Gela (founded by Frederick II in 1233) and in a dump beneath Palazzo Chiaramonte, Palermo (begun after 1306). The difference of blend and glazing, as well as its spread throughout the Angevin Kingdom and in nearby Latium would seem to justify the belief that there were not one, but numerous factories working in the same period, or in closely successive ones, which specialized in naval and military supplies. Its presence in Africa does not mean these are an Islamic prototype, but, far more probably, the remains left by the Angevin army encamped near Carthage in 1270 during the Tunis Crusade. -- AATA