African amphorae

The authors have analyzed the archaeological finds from a Late Antiquity shipwreck off the coast of the island of Kaprije. The finds – that mostly include amphorae – have been scientifically analyzed and dated, thus helping establish the time of the shipwreck. Other pottery and the elements of the ship’s hull were found in the quantities that do not allow more precise dating based on specific shapes and analogies.

Cet article présente une synthèse sur les amphores d’origine africaine identifiées dans la région toulousaine à la fin de l’âge du Fer. Grâce aux découvertes récentes faites lors de fouilles préventives, un schéma chronologique d’évolution quantitatif de ces importations
est proposé. Des analyses pétrographiques complètent cette étude.

Second year of underwater excavations of the Roman shipwreck near the island Babuljaš, Pakoštane has revealed many interesting finds. Most of them originate from the Roman North Africa and can be dated in the period from end of 4th till begging of 5th century. The cargo consists of several different types of cylindrical amphorae, coarse ware and red slip ware.

From a program carried out in several consecutive annual campaigns since 2007 conduct by Sanitja Association about underwater exploration, we present a study of a group of archaeological remains discovered in the seabed of the northern coast of Menorca adjacent to the port of Sanitja and belonging to two Punic ships sunk in the fourth century BC. So we've analyzed the amphorae repertoire with the intent to take another step in the knowledge that refers to the routes of commercial navigation of those vessels during the posttalayotic period.

The study of the neo-punic amphorae from archaeological excavations in Rome (Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio), Ostia (Terme del Nuotatore) and Arles (Arles-Rhone 3 wreck) allowed the possibility of analyzing a category of little known North African amphorae which were in circulation during the 1st century AD. This has also presented the opportunity to illustrate and discuss the limits of the few typological references available for the classification of such amphorae - Mau XL, Vindonissa 592, Oberaden fig. 25, n. 4, Dressel 18 forms - and to attempt a new methodological approach to typology, in which traditional morphological study has been associated with the analysis of petrographic and technical features of fabrics, to set up a new integrated classification as realistically as possible and directly referable to production centers, which, although not always precisely located, are likely to be found mainly in the Tunisian Sahel area.

" 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. Este volumen, que se presenta como primero de una serie, recoge, sobre todo, sellos en ánforas importadas en Lusitania, aunque se recogen algunos sellos lusitanos existentes en las colecciones estudiadas. Muestra pues las relaciones de la provincia lusitana con otras provincias del imperio. Hay que destacar que ya desde el s. II a.C. tenemos constancia de la presencia de materiales procedentes de la península itálica, tanto procedentes de la zona tirrénica como de la región de Brindisi, es interesante señalar que este trafi co fue intenso y que junto a estas ánforas viajaron otras procedentes de la lejana Creta. La presencia de materiales de origen galo, africano o de la tarraconense es escasa, casi anecdótica, mientras que los materiales procedentes de la Bética, tanto del valle del Guadalquivir como de la costa bética son los más abundantes. "

Study of amphorae from underwater survey work in the Roman port of Sanitja. The amphorae of Tunisian origin and their pottery marks are studied in detail.

CONTRERAS, F., TALAVERA, A., MASSÓ, P.: “Estudio de las ánforas de la Africa Bizacena localizadas en el fondo subacuático del puerto de Sanitja (Menorca)”, V Jornades d’arqueologia de les Illes Balears, Consell de Mallorca, Ed. Documenta Balear, 2013, pp. 119 – 126.

The object of this thesis is the African amphora assemblage from Portus, the maritime port of Imperial Rome. By means of amphorae, this thesis looks at the important relationship between producers and consumers, between what was produced on the land in North Africa in terms of ceramics and agricultural produce, and what was traded at the port of Rome. Amphorae were large-sized vessels used for moving foodstuffs, and one of the main archaeological evidence for topics related to trade studies in the Classical world. This study in particular aims to identify production workshops in commercial partnership with Portus, located in Africa Proconsularis, corresponding to modern Tunisia and western Libya. Building upon an understanding of previous academic work related to principles of fabrics, petrological and typological analysis of amphorae, the products of a number of important production workshops were characterized in the assemblage, including those from Sullecthum, Lepcis Magna, Tripoli, and Nabeul. Sullecthum, Lecpis and Tripoli and their hinterland zones were important commercial partners in the 3rd century AD, while Nabeul, characterized by vessels in a red fabric, in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. This work also proposes a new approach for the study of amphorae: that is, to associate the amphorae with their social context of production, and the people who manufactured them, a dimension often forgotten. This is investigated through consideration of a proposed framework that takes into account forming techniques and their socioeconomic significance, and skill investment in production. This thesis brings a greater breadth regarding our understanding of the development of the port at Portus, its relationship to nearby important commercial locations, and its decline. Being initially in the shadow of the nearby fluvial harbour of Ostia, it is with the early 3rd century AD that the commercial character of the harbour is defined, while a decline is evident in the second half of the 5th century AD. In considering these topics, this study aims to contribute to the wider Portus Project undertaken by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the British School in Rome, the University of Cambridge and the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici di Roma (Ostia Antica). This is the first time that this very important archaeological site is studied in detail and its ceramic materials analyzed.

Available at: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/362725/