Since its publication, this book has become one of the most important histories of Byzantine pottery. The first chapter deals with medieval methods of manufacture in the light of the discovery of several potters' workshops at Corinth, the second with classification and terminology. A separate chapter is then devoted to each of the main categories of Byzantine pottery, classified according to type of decoration. Each group is analyzed from the point of view of artistic and chronological development. A brief summary concludes the discussion and the catalogue of 1,788 pieces constitutes the remainder of the book.

The work presented in this book opens a new window on the history and archaeology of medieval Sicily, by focusing on the development of human-animal relationships from Byzantine times to the later Middle Ages. This large-scale study of animal bones and teeth relies on the analysis of material from old and recent excavations, as well as on a comprehensive review of data available from the literature. The results shed light on two major lines of investigation on Arab and Norman-Aragonese Sicily: the influence of different dominations on dietary practices, most notably the extent to which the taboo on pork consumption spread in the island under the Arab administration, and the longer-term changes in animal husbandry as a consequence of the technological developments and novel approaches to landscape exploitation introduced by the Arabs.