The comparison of chemical compositions of ceramic bodies of nine Byzantine plates kept in the Musée national de céramique, Sèvres, with those of reference archaeological samples enabled us to associate most of the plates to the 12th-13th century production of Chalcis. Two pieces, however, raise the question of authenticity. Geochemical perturbations related to prolonged immersion in a marine environment are also discussed and a specific methodology is proposed.

This paper reports how chemical analysis shows that the Kavalliani shipwreck carried a cargo of MBP from Chalcis.
These results propose Chalcis as a main medieval maritime hub, as most of the cargoes of tablewares in shipwrecks of the Middle Byzantine period are of the same types, and most probably have the same origin.

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