Assemblages of Transport Amphoras: From Chronology to Economics and Society

Wherever they end up in the archaeological record and however they were used from initial potting to final discard, transport amphoras are artifacts of economic activity. That connection to the ancient economy, however, does not limit the range of archaeological contexts where amphoras played a significant role. The papers in this volume examine a wide range of settings – from individual buildings to shipwrecked cargoes to broad geographic regions – where these jars are found. While find spots are oft en analyzed for whatever chronological evidence they might provide, contexts – broadly defined – can also contribute to more complex social and economic interpretations of the jars and the areas where they appear. Hence, in this volume, amphoras are studied in terms of supplies to sanctuaries and other public functions, artifacts of private commercial business, localized demand for different kinds of products, broad commercial trends shaped by Mediterranean geopolitics and environmental change. The authors cover finds from Archaic Didyma, Classical Corinth, the late Classical shipwreck near Mazotos (Cyprus), Hellenistic Rhodes and Ephesos, and the sites of Voura and Aigio on the north coast of the Peloponnese. These studies highlight the many different ways that inherently economic artifacts inform our understanding of ancient society.