Williamson Collection Project 

This project involves the study of 19,354 sherds of Sasanian and Islamic pottery collected in Fars and Kirman provinces of Iran during field surveys and small-scale excavations by the late Andrew George Williamson between 1968 and 1971.

The project began in 2001, initiated by Professor Derek Kennet (now at Chicago University) and Dr Seth Priestman (Honorary Research Fellow, Durham University), with funding from the British Institute of Persian Studies. The Williamson Collection is now housed in the Department of Archaeology, Durham University, where it is being studied by Dr R. Zhang.

It is possible to link pottery from the collection to excavated sequences from other sites in the region, such as Kush and Julfar, which allow the material to be more precisely dated. The recording and analysis of the collection are now complete, as is the identification of the sites from which the pottery was collected. This data has enabled the team to identify local and regional trends in settlement along the Iranian coast from approximately the 4th to the 17th century.

The aims of the project are threefold 

1. to provide a complete catalogue of the sherds, including a basic description and classification;
2. to create a list and map of all sites from which Williamson collected pottery;
3. to analyse the resulting dataset which offers a unique opportunity to extract information on pottery distribution, settlement location, and the development of trade during the Sasanian and Islamic periods in Southern Iran and beyond.

Additionally, the project engages with the Indian Ocean and long-distance trade networks with China, as it includes over 3,000 pieces of Chinese trade ceramics.

The key research outcomes and publications are:

• Morgan, P. 1991. New Thoughts on Old Hormuz: Chinese Ceramics in the Hormuz Region in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. Iran 29: 67-83.
• Priestman, S. 2005. Settlement & Ceramics in Southern Iran: An Analysis of the Sasanian & Islamic Periods in the Williamson Collection. Master diss, Durham University.
• Priestman, S. 2021. Ceramic Exchange and the Indian Ocean Economy (Ad 400–1275) London: British Museum.
• Priestman, S. and D. Kennet 2002. The Williamson Collection Project: Sasanian and Islamic Pottery from Southern Iran. Iran: 265-267.
• Priestman, S. and D. Kennet 2023. Sasanian and Islamic Settlement and Ceramics in Southern Iran (4th to 17th Century Ad): The Williamson Survey, Oxford & Philadelphia: Oxbow Books.
• Zhai, Y. and R. Zhang 2019. Yingcang Weilianmusen Bosiwan Bei’an Diaocha Suohuo De Zhongguo Gudai Cipian 英藏威廉姆森波斯湾北岸调查所获的中国古代瓷片.