Distinct from the styles of pottery surrounding it due to its coarse construction without the potter's wheel and uneven firing, a substantial number of hypotheses have been presented to explain its presence.
[2] The ware is found in Late Helladic IIIB and IIIC levels (starting in the middle of the 13th century BC), preceding the destruction of the Mycenaean citadels.
On these grounds, Eleni Vasileiou has written that Handmade Burnished Ware should not be considered a uniform ceramic type.
[4] Diffusionist hypotheses posit that the pottery was introduced by migrating peoples in the late 13th and 12th centuries BC.
[8] Non-diffusionist views instead place its emergence as a local substitute for higher-quality wares unavailable amid disruptions in the Mycenaean economy.