Amphorae from a sunken ship tell about trade routes of the Roman Mediterranean

Amphorae from a sunken ship tell about trade routes of the Roman Mediterranean
Amphorae from a sunken ship tell about trade routes of the Roman Mediterranean
Anonim

Greek archaeologists investigated the remains of an ancient ship that sank in the southeast of the Aegean Sea off the coast of Kasos in the 2nd-3rd centuries. A large amount of pottery was found at the site of the shipwreck - amphorae of two types originating from different provinces of the Roman Empire. The find, which is reported in a press release by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, will help to better explore the trade and economic relations between different regions of the Mediterranean during Roman times.

Kasos, part of the Dodecanese group of islands, is located about 50 kilometers east of Crete. The island is located at the crossroads of ancient sea routes connecting the Aegeis with the Middle East and North Africa and, despite its small size (Kasos area is only 49 square kilometers), in ancient times was one of the regional centers of maritime trade. The importance of Kasos increased during the Roman era, especially during its imperial period, as sea traffic was the main mode of communication between the distant provinces of the vast state.

The leading role in the Mediterranean trade was played by the transport of grain, olive oil and wine. Amphora served as a container for storing and transporting all these products. Other goods were also transported in amphoras: salted fish, sauces, paints and even wool. The production of ceramic amphorae was massive, and each center for the production of these vessels not only observed a certain standard of shape and volume, but also marked its products with its own brand. Therefore, the geography of finds of various types of Roman amphorae provides scientists with the most important source for dating trade contacts and reconstructing the network of economic ties.

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Fragment of a Roman amphora found off the island of Kasos

The place of manufacture of the amphora can be judged not only by the brand, but also by the nature of the clay, and by such features as the shape and size of the handles, the height and diameter of the body and throat, the presence and shape of the leg and rim, the presence and color of clay coating (engobe) … For the typological classification of Roman amphorae, scholars use the Dressel catalog, created at the end of the 19th century by the German archaeologist and numismatist Heinrich Dressel, and a number of regional catalogs.

By the size and shape of the amphora, you can determine for which product the vessel was intended. For example, wide, "pot-bellied" amphoras were used for oil, and narrower and higher ones for wine. In vessels intended for wine, it is not uncommon for the inner surface to be coated with resin during the production process. Methods for sealing amphorae were also different: a cork, driven into a narrow throat, was poured with resin or coated with clay, sometimes lime. In addition to the manufacturer's stigma, amphorae were often painted in the form of a short graffiti for the year, type of product, and destination.

Amphorae intended for sea transportation were most often pointed at the bottom. This made it possible to tightly install them in rows and layers in the ship's hold in a layer of sand that served as ballast. A merchant ship could transport several thousand amphorae in this way, so the wrecks of such ships often contain many fragmented and intact vessels that carry information about the trade routes of antiquity.

Near the island of Kasos, where underwater excavations, organized by the Inspectorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, together with the Institute for Historical Research, have been underway since 2019, archaeologists have already found the remains of wrecked ancient ships. One of them sank in the 5th century BC with a cargo of amphorae from the Greek city of Mendi. Another, which sank in the 1st century BC, carried Rhodes amphorae of the Hellenistic period in the hold.

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Underwater archaeological work off the coast of Kasos

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Raising the find

Excavations for the 2020 season, led by Xanthi Argyri and Georgios Koutsouflakis, have also been successful: underwater archaeologists have re-discovered an entire placer of pottery left behind after a shipwreck. Underwater research was carried out for three weeks from September 23 to October 14. During this time, 23 members of the expedition made more than 100 dives, having spent over 200 hours under water, and surveyed 80 percent of the shipwreck site.

The cargo consisted of two types of vessels. Some of the amphorae, classified by archaeologists as type Dressel 20, come from Spanish workshops that existed in the Guadalquivira region (province of Betica) in the 1st – 3rd centuries. These vessels contained olive oil. Other amphorae are of the Africana I type. They were made in the province of Africa, on the territory of modern Tunisia, in the 2nd-3rd centuries. What was transported in these amphoras has not yet been established.

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Left: a fragment of a Spanish amphora like Dressel 20 for oil. Right: African amphora type Africana I

The wreck, apparently, followed from Spain through an African port to the nearby large island of Rhodes or to the coast of Asia Minor, possibly with a call at Kasos. The discovery of the remains of his cargo was the first archaeological evidence of the existence of a route between these regions in the 2nd-3rd centuries. One of the articles of trade was olive oil.

Now archaeologists are finishing cleaning the finds in the laboratories of the Inspectorate of Underwater Antiquities. After exploration, they will be returned to Kasos, where they will become part of the exhibition at the local Archaeological Museum. In 2021, the expedition will complete the underwater work, which should result in detailed documentation of the seabed off the coast of Kasos.

Earlier, archaeologists reported the discovery of the remains of a Roman ship loaded with amphorae off the coast of Cyprus, the skeleton of a victim of an Antikythera shipwreck, as well as 58 sunken ships off the coast of Fourni Island in the Aegean Sea.

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