Late roman Amphoras

The article is devoted to the classifi cation and chronology of the C Snp I amphorae by D. Kassab Tezgör’s typology, corresponding to the Type Zeest-100. There is no doubt that Sinope produced C Snp I amphorae during the first half of the 4th century, and they circulate in the mid-second half of the 4th/early 5th century. Their presence in later contexts is due to mixedones (residual fragments).                                                                                          C Snp I class amphorae are divided into two types: C Snp I-1 and
C Snp I-2, produced in the same workshops. C Snp I-1, which is not “impurity from below”, is found in contexts dating to the fi rst half of the 4th century, the second half of the 4th century and the first third of the 5th century. It is clear that the amphorae in question derive from the Late
Sinope B Snp I and B Snp II. Within each of the types a detailed typology has been developed, including both the typology of the whole forms and the profi le fragments. The analysis of the contexts shows that type C Snp I-1 can be dated from the beginning to the third quarter of the 4th
century (time of production) with the end of the cycle in the fi rst third of the 5th century (time of withdrawal from circulation). Amphorae of C Snp I-2 type date from the first quarter of the 4th century (after the beginning of C Snp I-1 production) to the end of the third quarter of the 4th century with the end of the cycle in the fi rst half of the 5th century (time of withdrawal from circulation). For some time in the second half of the 4th century, type C Snp I-1 continues to be produced, being replaced by the characteristic type C Snp II with an elongated neck and type
C Snp III, as recorded also by pottery excavations in Demirci.

A. V. Sazanov
The chronology of  “Myrmekion type” amphorae
(Zeest 72–Bottger I.5) of roman period

This article is devoted to so-called amphorae of «Myrmekion type»,  found in the Northern Black Sea regions.
The initial hypothesis was put forward by O. Langovaya and prof.V. Gaidukevich. They  suggested that amphorae from Charaх burials 29 and 33 are successors to ones from Myrmekion and the type may be dated from the second half of third to first half of fourth century AD .The opposite view was taken by prof.I.Zeest proposed that the date-range of these amphorae may be set from the end of second to the mid of third century AD. A number of other publications which appeared after 1960 may be noted (Scorpan, 1977; Bottger, 1982, Opait 1996; Aibabin, 1999;Paraschiv, 2006). Typological analysis reveals that amphorae falls into two types dated from to the first half of third to the first half of IVth century  AD.  Amphorae from Charaх burials 29 and 33 can be regarded as the direct successor of Zeest 72.
At Tanais and Gorgippia these amphorae appear in the first half of  third century  AD conteхts. The earliest examples here may be go back to ca. A.D.230-240 or even more earli-er.The coin evidence suggests that its initial date is after  AD 229-231. The latest examples may be that of  Charaks and Kilen-Balka dated to the second and third quarter of IVth century AD. It must be stressed that associated coins terminate with issues of Valens  (AD 364-378). The main period of production for this amphora type seems to have been between ca AD 230-240 and AD 320-340. Probably they were produced in the area of Bosporan Kingdom .

La obra aquí presentada se inserta en la moderna corriente de estudio: por una parte, se recoge un corpus de los sellos hallados, fundamentalmente, en dos lugares de la antigua provincia romana: Olisipo ( Lisboa) y Augusta Emerita (Mérida), la capital de la provincia, la primera de estas ciudades situada en la costa, la segunda en el interior del territorio; por otra, se estudian aspectos económicos vinculados sea a la organización del tráfi co comercial dentro de la provincia, sea el papel que juega esta región en el conjunto de las provincias del imperio romano.

In March 2012, Philipps-Universität Marburg conducted a 12-day survey along a section of the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia reaching from Rabigh in the north to al-Shoaiba in the south. As the beginning of a five-year archaeological project, this preliminary venture sought to define the logistical situation and to discover any sites of archaeological importance that may exist within the zone. The survey included the search for and the examination of harbor sites, as well as shipwrecks. Sites of antiquity and the Early Islamic period were of particular interest. The results of the survey included the discovery of a harbor and a shipwreck of the late third or the fourth century that contained Roman amphoras, among other objects.

Εμπορικοί αμφορείς από την περιοχή του λιμένα του Πειραιά. Αποτέλεσαν, το 1994, το υλικό της εργασίας του τότε δόκιμου Επιμελητή Αρχαιοτήτων Σ. Ραπτόπουλου. Ο κατάλογος συνοδεύεται από κείμενο σχετικό με το εμπόριο στην περιοχή των νεωρίων του Πειραιά.

La production d'une même forme amphorique dans plusieurs centres est désormais un fait bien connu dès le IV e s. av. J.-C. au plus tard. 1 Il a été observé en mer Noire, et S. Vnukov a consacré une étude exhaustive aux amphores dites du type « pseudo-Cos » (Dressel 2-4), qui ont été fabriquées simultanément à Héraclée du Pont et à Sinope entre le milieu du I er s. av. J.-C. et le début du II e s. ap. J.-C. 2 Elles ne varient que par leur pâte argileuse et par quelques petites différences morphologiques, que seule une étude de détail peut déceler.

This paper considers a Sardinian context from the 3rd to the 7th centuries AD. In this study a methodological
comparison is proposed between imported and local pottery recovered in the excavations in the town of Nora (Cagliari)
and its territory, considering the possible differences and similarities in diachronic and synchronic terms. The
materials from the survey are unpublished, while for those coming from the excavations we have referred to relative
studies and publications. The comparison highlights the connection and the independence between the territory and the
town of Nora, taking into consideration its geographical position and its role as a mediator performed continuously
from the Phoenician to the Roman Age. The two different methodologies of archaeological research, extensive (survey)
and intensive (excavations) provide a stimulus for a comparative study of the data, leading to a more complete
interpretation, which includes that from the economic perspective.

KEYWORDS: NORA, SOUTH SARDINIA, LOCAL POTTERY, IMPORTED POTTERY, POTTERY
ASSEMBLAGES, EXCAVATION, SURVEY, ECONOMY, SHIPPING ROUTES

"This research project is focussed on the distribution of amphorae and patterns of consumption in the Eastern Roman provinces of Moesia Inferior and Thrace and their economic relationships with the regions of the Western Mediterranean.
The research represents a critical review of published data. The peculiar modern geopolitical context over the second half of the 20th century and problems related to linguistic accessibility has had the effect of creating a lack of comprehensive and up-to-date studies in this area and the knowledge of Bulgarian and other Slavic languages was instrumental in identifying local classification systems of amphorae with those commonly established.
The overall account of amphora distribution made it possible to examine in detail some case studies, which were selected either because of their role in the Roman period, or for the intensity of research. All these sites are situated near important commercial routes, along the lower bank of the Danube River (Novae, Sexaginta Prista and Trimammium), on the Western coast of the Black Sea (Odessos, Deultum, Apollonia Pontica) and in inland Thrace (Kabyle).
The direct examination of about four hundred items of amphorae (most of them unpublished) discovered in these sites was used to draft a chronological scheme, which builds on relevant contextual data and published evidence.
Trend analysis of the import of foodstuffs over specific historical periods: the typological examination of the amphorae and their marks, along with the type of agricultural production of their provenance area allow establishing the likely content of the containers (oil, wine, fish products or other foodstuffs). Graphs elaborated on the basis of these patterns can throw fresh insights on this archaeological research.
In the final synthesis, economic long term developments are pointed out. In particular, two commercials routes are highlighted: the first one is connected with the Western Black Sea trade route and it concerns mostly Agean and Pontic trading, without excluding some Western Mediterranean products which reached this territory still in the Late Hellenistic period. The second one runs along the Danube and it is related to the presence of Roman army: through this route since the first half of 1st century AD arrived the goods from the Adriatic Sea, and then, after the Dacian wars and the creation of the province of Dacia (106 AD), the foodstuffs from the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of Iberian commodities increases particularly when the Emperor Septimius Severus established the annona militaris. In this period some goods from the Pontus Euxinus reached the inland of Thrace as shown the assignment of Kabyle. "

Dirigé par Souen FONTAINE (Drassm, chercheur membre du Centre Camille Jullian-UMR7299) en co-responsabilité scientifique avec Corinne ROUSSE (AMU, Centre Camille Jullian-UMR 7299) Mourad EL AMOURI (Ipso Facto) Frédéric MARTY (PIPC Ouest Provence)

Olbia is the main port on the Eastern coast of Sardinia. It is settled in a gulf which allowed the development of an important market since the Phoenician period.

In Late Roman period cargoes from the whole Mediterranean area (Hispania, Levant, Italic Peninsula, Calabria, Sicily, Africa and Gaule) joined the port.

The Lusitanian products arrived at Olbia since the 1st AD.: are attested Dressel.

Particularly interesting are the Late Roman importations; in 4th and 5th AD the Lusitanian amphoras join Olbia, carrying fish products –contained in Almagro 50, 51 AB, 51C, Keay 78/Sado 1-.
Lusitania was at that time the major fish product exporter in the Western Mediterranean area; its direct competitor was North Africa –mainly actual Tunisia-, but, among the amphorae attestations of Olbia, Africa seems not to be sufficiently competitive in this sector.

In conclusion this paper will deal with the importation of Lusitanian fish products to Olbia in Late Antiquity, analyzing this stuffs together with the whole mass of importation from the others Mediterranean area (Baetica, North Africa, and Levant).

Nobody till now has studied the commercial role of Olbia –the Sardinian port right in front of Rome in the Tyrrhenian sea- on the basis of the amphorae data, in general and on the Lusitanian products in detail.

BAR S2833 Il paesaggio di Nora (Cagliari – Sud Sardegna) by Cristina Nervi. British Archaeological Reports; 9781407315225, 2016. Order Online: www.barpublishing.com

This book studies the imported and local pottery from 238 BC to 700 AD that was recovered during a survey of the territory of Nora (Cagliari - South Sardinia) in diachronic and synchronic terms. The pottery provides a stimulus for the reconstruction of the development of the territory of Nora, underlining the presence of farms, villas, necropolises and quarries, which were located in the land behind Nora. The huge quantity of pottery, coming from the whole Mediterranean area, covers a rich and varied spectrum, which reveals the different attitudes of each historical period, from the first arrival of the Romans in Sardinia till Late Antiquity, just before the Arab occupation of the island.

This book studies the imported and local pottery from 238 BC to 700 AD that was recovered during a survey of the territory of Nora (Cagliari - South Sardinia) in diachronic and synchronic terms. The pottery provides a stimulus for the reconstruction of the development of the territory of Nora, underlining the presence of farms, villas, necropolises and quarries, which were located in the land behind Nora. The huge quantity of pottery, coming from the whole Mediterranean area, covers a rich and varied spectrum, which reveals the different attitudes of each historical period, from the first arrival of the Romans in Sardinia till Late Antiquity, just before the Arab occupation of the island.

Cette communication présentera les nouvelles découvertes issues d’une recherche conduite, à la fois en Cyrénaïque et en Égypte. Nous exposerons les résultats obtenus à partir du matériel amphorique provenant essentiellement des fouilles menées à Latrun pour la région cyrénéenne et le site de Bouto – Tell el-Fara `in pour le delta égyptien. L’aperçu préliminaire des témoignages archéologiques permettra d’établir quelques jalons sur les relations commerciales existant entre l’Afrique du Nord, la Cyrénaïque et le delta égyptien, de la fin de la période romaine à la conquête arabe.
D’une part, il s’agira de dresser un court bilan des connaissances concernant les grandes zones de production d’amphores en Tunisie et en Tripolitaine et de présenter les principaux ateliers exportateurs de ces régions.
D’autre part, le signalement de la présence d’un certain nombre de productions africaines sur les sites cyrénéens et égyptiens permettra de fournir quelques pistes de recherche au sujet de la circulation des marchandises entre ces régions dans l’Antiquité. En effet, les fouilles conduites à Latrun, ainsi que les prospections de mai – juin 2012 à Bouto ont livré des résultats encourageants quant à la connaissance de la diffusion des produits nord-africains. À Bouto, l’étude de la céramique a mis en évidence des importations dans l’intérieur du delta égyptien de conteneurs provenant de Méditerranée occidentale aux périodes romaine et byzantine. Nous présenterons également les principales caractéristiques de chaque type africain pour chaque période et ainsi, grâce à l’analyse macroscopique des pâtes, nous tenterons de définir l’origine de ces amphores. Nous dresserons ensuite un essai de typo-chronologie des productions amphoriques nord-africaines présentes sur les sites de Latrun et de Bouto.
Enfin, ces nouvelles perspectives sur la circulation des marchandises, et notamment de l’Égypte vers la Cyrénaïque, permettront de s’interroger sur la nature des échanges entre ces régions.

O centro produtor da Quinta do Rouxinol (estuário do Tejo), escavado de 1986 a 1991, produziu, entre os meados do sec. II e inícios do sec. V, cerâmica comum e ânforas das formas Almagro 50, Almagro 51c e Lusitana 9. Neste trabalho faz-se um estudo baseado na composição química destas ânforas (obtida por AAN), visando contribuir para a compreensão das estratégias de produção e de selecção de matérias-primas ao longo do tempo e por tipologia. As amostras Almagro 51c apresentam uma composição química heterogénea, especialmente quando comparadas com as Lusitana 9, forma que se diferencia por apresentar uma maior homogeneidade química. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os oleiros recorreram a duas fontes de matéria-prima para a produção das ânforas, alargando ainda mais a escolha nas Almagro 51c. Estes resultados estão em consonância com a informação arqueológica disponível, resultante do desenvolvimento de projecto de investigação específico.

by Marco CAVALIERI, in Res Antiquae 15, 2018.
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Dans le cadre du projet international « VII Regio. Le Val d’Elsa pendant l’époque romaine et l’Antiquité tardive », une mission de recherche archéologique dirigée par l’UCLouvain depuis 2005, fouille le site d’Aiano-Torraccia di Chiusi : une villa longinqua de la Toscane du Nord dont la datation remonte à la fin du IIIe s. ap. J.-C. ou au début du IVe s. ap. J.-C., et qui se caractérise par sa monumentalité architecturale et sa richesse décorative.

La vie de la villa comporte plusieurs phases : un réaménagement important à la fin du IVe s. ap. J.-C. a été mis en évidence tandis que vers la fin du siècle suivant, une fois que le site est abandonné, elle subit les premières spoliations de matériaux. In fine, au cours des VIe et VIIe siècles ap. J.-C., la villa en ruines est occupée par des groupes d’artisans, dont la culture matérielle est manifestement allochtone et qui y installent des ateliers pour le traitement du fer, du verre, de l’or et probablement aussi du bronze. Dans les ateliers, les matières premières des activités de recyclage sont les matériaux tirés du démontage de murs et des éléments décoratifs et fonctionnels de la villa (les enduits peints des murs, les marqueteries en marbre des pavements, les mosaïques, les tuyaux en plomb du système hydraulique etc.).

Concernant les récipients de transport, les fouilles ont livré des fragments appartenant à des amphores apparentées au type dit « Empoli » dont la circulation se situe aux IVe et Ve s. ap. J.-C. L’analyse stratigraphique de ces trouvailles a permis de formuler quelques hypothèses quant au réseau de commerce où s’insérait la vie de la villa durant la transition entre Antiquité tardive et haut Moyen-âge.

Ce texte est tiré de la communication homonyme présentée dans le cadre du colloque « L’Anfora di Empoli. Produzione e diffusione in età romana » tenue à Empoli (Florence) les 15-16 octobre 2010, restée inédite.

Mots clé : Toscane, Antiquité tardive, Villa, Amphores
Keywords: Tuscany, Late Antiquity, Villa, Amphorae
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This paper aims to analyse in detail the origin, morphological evolution and distribution of the annular bottom amphora type Riley Mid Roman 1 (MRA1) (Keay LXXXI/Ostia I, 453-454/Robinson M254). The type occurs at numerous eastern and western Mediterranean sites as well as at Northern Europe ones, from the mid 3rd to the beginning of 5th century AD.
One of the main problems of the study of this amphora type is connected to the uncertainty over the location of its production centres. Its provenance has been largely discussed by scholars and its manufacture had been hypothetically linked to Tripolitania, based mainly on the concentration of finds in Leptis Magna. However, thin section analyses contributed to point to a major production in Sicily, largely diffused in the Mediterranean and in Africa as well (Capelli, Bonifay 2007). That hypothesis was confirmed by the recent discovery of a kiln complex along the eastern coast of Sicily, in the ancient Statio Acium, modern Santa Venera al Pozzo in the modern-day province of Catania (Amari 2006).
However, few specimens have shown a possible Northern African origin, as well. Moreover, recent discoveries have also provided evidence for a Cyrenaican production of the same amphora type in Erythron (Latrun), close to ancient city of Apollonia (Susa) (Mazou, Capelli 2011). Given the above, there were numerous workshops in Eastern Sicily and based on the recent discoveries, at least one production site of MRA 1 with similar typological characteristics in Cyrenaica.
The new data gathered from the production centres in Sicily and Cyrenaica, which will be presented, will improve our understanding of the morphological features of these amphorae and will help to define their chronology. Also, thin-section analyses performed on amphora samples from the known kiln sites will be further discussed in order to confirm the possibility of identifying different geographical amphorae source locations, on the basis of the differences in fabric composition. Finally, an overview of the long-distance exports of MRA1 in the Eastern Mediterranean -as known from published and unpublished data- will be presented in order to provide evidence on its distribution patterns and preferential trade areas.

Bibliography cited in the abstract: 

Amari 2006 = Amari. (S.), I materiali in esposizione nell’Antiquarium. Sale I-II-III, in L’Area archeologica di S. Venera al Pozzo-Acium. In: Branciforti (M. G.), ed., Palermo 2006, 105-183.

Capelli, Bonifay 2007 = Capelli (C.), Bonifay (M.), - Archéométrie et archéologie des céramiques africaines : une approche pluridisciplinaire. In: Bonifay (M.), Tréglia (J.-C.) éd. - LRCW 2, Late Roman Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean. Archaeology and Archaeometry. Oxford, Archaeopress, 2007, 551-567 (BAR IS 1662).

Mazou, Capelli 2011= Mazou, (L.) - Capelli, (C.), A local production of Mid Roman 1 amphorae at Latrun, Cyrenaica, Libyan Studies 42, 2011, 73-76.