Amphorae: typology and contents, p. 31-40 (original) (raw)
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AMPHORAE EX AEGYSSO. Fragments from Older Excavations
PEUCE, 2018
This paper presents a sample of early and late Roman amphorae fragments discovered during several excavations performed at Aegyssus–Tulcea-Colnicul Hora in the 1959-1996 period, with the purpose of bringing a small contribution to the study of the economic history of the Roman Empire. The sample consists of 458 fragments. Typologically, 17 amphora types were identified, some of which have different versions: Dressel 43, Dressel 2-5, Dressel 24, Zeest 72, Zeest 94 (Šelov B and C), Berenice Middle Roman Amphora 5, Kapitän II, Agora M273, Kuzmanov XV-XVI, Spatheion, Opaiț D II, Opaiț D III, Opaiț E I – c, Carthage Late Roman Amphora 1, Carthage Late Roman Amphora 2, Carthage Late Roman Amphora 3 and Carthage Late Roman Amphora 4. Furthermore, out of these 17 types, it was determined, based on macroscopic fabric comparison, that 5 types were of Aegean origin, 3 types from the Eastern Mediteranean Coast, 7 types of Black Sea origin, one type from North Africa, while the LRA 1 and even LRA 2 types were produced in various centres in the Eastern part of the Empire. Chronologically, 5 types were distributed during the Early Roman Period, 10 types during the Late Roman Period and 2 types have been traced to the period between the 3rd and 4th century AD. Last but not least, the paper also proposes a method of calculating quantities of imported wine and olive oil during the two time periods of the Roman Empire.
Periodico di Mineralogia, 2015
This paper presents the results of the petrographic, mineralogical and chemical characterization of Late Roman amphorae from a sixth-century context found in the Medieval Cathedral of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). This city had an intense port activity in Late Antiquity as the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis and, from the late 5th century, as an important Visigothic centre. A total of 41 amphora samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques, including optical microscopy by thin-section analysis, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, in order to obtain information on their provenance and technology. They comprise African, southern Hispanic and eastern Mediterranean types, mainly dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. The analysis revealed a wide diversity of chemical-petrographic groups and subgroups, indicating the import of amphorae from several production centres, in many cases being possible to determine their particular provenance. A large part of the analyzed samples corresponds to Tunisian amphorae, arriving in the 5th century mainly from workshops located in the Zeugitana region, while later amphora types, more typical of the 6th to early 7th centuries, are mostly related to a provenance in the Byzacena. For southern Hispanic and eastern Mediterranean amphorae different workshops seem to be represented, even for a same amphora type. The results of this study provide new important evidence for a better understanding of the trade networks of Tarraco-Tarracona in Late Antiquity.
Amphora contents in Baetica: from the Punic tradition to Late Roman times
Roman Amphora Contents. Reflecting on the Maritime Trade of Foodstuffs in Antiquity. In honour of Miguel Beltrán Lloris. Proceedings of the Roman Amphora Contents International Interactive Conference, D. Bernal, M. Bonifay, A. Pecci and V. Leitch (eds.), RLAMP 17, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2021
This synthesis undertakes the diachronic analysis of palaeocontents of the amphorae produced in the south of the Iberian Peninsula in Antiquity. This includes Punic finds in the coastal areas and Turdetanian containers in the interior regions and the major fluvial valleys, the direct forerunners of the economic growth and agricultural boom experienced in the conventus Gaditanus and the Guadalquivir valley from the 1st century BC onwards. The study focuses on the areas where amphorae were produced and on the main products they contained (olive oil, salt preserves and wine), and specific examples are used to illustrate the status quaestionis for each amphora family or type, as the amount of available evidence is overwhelming and cannot all be presented here. Special attention is paid to complex and less well understood issues. Direct and indirect evidence for the content of amphorae in Hispania Ulterior/Baetica (and of its precedents) is abundant, owing to the combination of different sources, notably the chemical analysis of organic residues.
Petrographic analysis of a globular amphorae assemblage from the settlement of Rocchicella (Mineo)
2018
The ceramic assemblage of Rocchicella, dated to the 6 th-7 th and 9 th century, has been analysed for the PhD project: Ceramic technology and social change in Sicily from the 6 th to the 11 th centuries A.D. (Testolini Forthcoming). One hundred and twenty-four samples were selected and thin sections prepared and analysed with a polarising microscope by the author at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield. The 124 samples were grouped on the basis of type of clay and inclusions and described using Whitbread's (1995) method. This section presents only the analysis of 17 globular amphorae found in Rocchicella in contexts dating to the 9 th century (Arcifa 2016; Arcifa et al. 2015), and sheds new light on two Sicilian fabric groups (Fabric 2 and 3) present in a large proportion of the pottery dated to this 9 th century phase. Eleven fabric groups were identified for Rocchicella 9 th century phase, and 8 groups include globular amphorae samples (Testolini Forthcoming), demonstrating that these amphorae, although small in number, came from different Sicilian and extra-insular workshops. Sicilian geology includes a sedimentary area in the west, important igneous outcrops in the east, and a metamorphic area in the northeast corner (Messina area) (Lentini et al. 2016). Such a combination of geological formation is comparable to several places in the Mediterranean, and for this reason it is difficult to establish where ceramic products are produced merely on a geological basis. Therefore, it was essential to take into account not only geological literature or comparisons, but also archaeological parallels to provenance the globular amphorae. Archaeological thin sections were compared with clay source thin sections (Montana et al. 2011), published thin sections analyses regarding Sicilian production centres (
Roman Amphora Contents. Reflecting on the Maritime Trade of Foodstuffs in Antiquity. , 2021
The Graeco-Italic amphorae — types IV and V — (Van der Mersch 1994 classification) of Italic origins are considered as wine-amphorae, but no concrete tests for the presence of wine within them have existed until now. The recent re-examination of the cargos of the Filicudi F (300-280/250 BC) and Secca di Capistello (300-280 BC) wrecks (Aeolian Islands), within the Immensa Aequora project (www.immensaaequora.org), in collaboration with Museo Eoliano L. Bernabò Brea di Lipari, has made it possible to study these most-interesting wrecks, enabling for the first time the collection of new information on the area of the amphorae’ origins (Olcese 2010). Different types of samples have been taken in order to identify the content of the amphorae with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The amphorae were waterproofed by pitch from coniferous species and contained red wine.
The Early Roman Gallo-Belgic Regional ‘Amphorae’
in: Carreras Monfort, C., & J.J.H. van den Berg (eds.), Amphorae from the Kops Plateau (Nijmegen): trade and supply to the Lower-Rhineland from the Augustan period to AD 69/70 (Oxford 2017) pp.151-160, 2017
Archaeometric evidences of the 4th-2nd century BC amphorae productions in north eastern Sicily
Journal of Archaeological …, 2011
This work focuses on the petro-archaeometric analysis of several transport amphorae dated back from 4th to 2nd century BC which were found in various archaeological excavations recently carried out in Messina and Milazzo (north eastern Sicily). These amphorae, generally known as Graeco-Italic, raise the problem of the identification of their production areas. Petrographic analyses proved the presence of two groups characterised by the presence of coarse metamorphic or volcanic inclusions and one group with finer metamorphic inclusions. Multivariate statistical analyses made it possible to detect the production area of the amphorae with metamorphic inclusion in north eastern Sicily, comparing them with locally produced bricks and clay sediments cropping out near the ancient cities. On the contrary, the studied amphorae rich in volcanic inclusions have petrographic and chemical features which can be attributed to production areas in the Campanian region.