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Imports at Ostia in the Imperial Period and Late Antiquity: The Amphora Evidence from the
Dai-Aar Excavations
Author(s): Archer Martin
Source: Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome. Supplementary Volumes, Vol. 6, The
Maritime World of Ancient Rome (2008), pp. 105-118
Published by: University of Michigan Press for the American Academy in Rome
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40379300
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1. Introduction
ofamphora-borne
foodstuffs
thispaperI wishto examinetrendsintheimportation
(essentially
a.d.
I shouldstressat the
the
first
to
the
fifth.
and
to
Ostia
from
fish
sauces)
wine,oil,
century
outsetthatI willbe discussingthesumofthesegoodsimportedin amphoraeand notnecessarily
fora conference
dedicatedto ports,I will
theentiresupplyofthemto Ostia.Thatis,appropriately
ofOstia.
be concernedonlywiththatpartofthesupplyimportedthroughtheportfacilities
and
direction
withthehelp
the
classification
based
on
Thisdiscussionis
(undermy
preliminary
and a teamofItalian,German,andAmerican
ofEricDe SenaoftheAAR'sArchaeology
Laboratory
excavatedinan DAI-AARprojectbetween1998and
fromselectedcontexts
ofthematerial
students)
ofinformation,
2001.*The 37 sondagesexcavatedweredesignedtoprovidea maximum
particularly
inthepreviously
unexnon-invasive
identified
withregardto dating,forelements
through
surveying
cavatedareasofthecity.Becauseoftheirpurpose,theytendedmoreto depththanbreadth,which
unitswereoflimitedsize. However,by puttingtogether
meansthatoftenthesinglestratigraphic
severalunitsofsimilardate,we wereable to createcumulative
groupsfora rangeofchronological
of
horizonsofthesamelengthoftime
series
horizons.2
Ideallyonewouldwantto havea continuous
ofroughly
ineachone.In practicewe havethreegroupsofcontexts
amountsofmaterial
withsimilar
defined
for
less
and
two
A.D.
similarsize (one forthesecondhalfofthefirst
groups
closely
century
of
the
second
centhe
first
half
one
a
and
from
to
and
350
280
to
from
350
(for
theyears
475)
larger
we hopeto
witha gapbetween150and280. Of course,as thestudyofthepottery
progresses,
tury),
ofnote.
morecloselytheideal,butevennowwe feelthatourresultsareworthy
approximate
All
the
sherds
wereretained
basis.
is
its
of
the
A particular
presentstudy methodological
strength
in
with
us
to
has
allowed
This
fabric
to
andexaminedforattribution
quantification
proceed
groups.
numberofvesselsrepresented
variousways:totalsherdcountandtotalsherdweight;theminimum
sherdsminusjoins;
of
all
the
number
a
maximum
rim
and
sherds
the
diagnostic
by
represented
by
oftherimsprevesselequivalentcalculatedon thebasisofthepercentage
theestimated
andfinally
one
ofthefeatures
forms
different
the
results
of
of
the
served.Indeed,thecomparison
quantifications
Here we have
at Barcelonaon lateantiquepottery.3
ofa paperthatwas presentedat a conference
is
Whatis significant
ofall thequantifications.
used an averageofresultsexpressedin percentages
statistical
ofundertaking
was collectedand processedwiththeintention
thatthismaterial
analysis
1 For the
see Martinet
projectand previousbibliography,
al. 2002.
2 Atthetimetheselectionwas madetheexcavatorshad not
we
Therefore,
yetsuppliedthephasingofthestratigraphies.
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106
ARCHER MARTIN
at Ostia:horizon1 (50-100).
ofimports
Fig. 1. Provenience
at Ostia:horizon1 (50-100).
imported
Fig.2. Products
wineat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig.3. Provenience
horizon1 (50-100).
oil/fishsauceat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig.4. Provenience
horizon1 (50-100).
of entireassemblages,
unlikethematerialfromolderexcavationsthatare stillreference
pointsin
oncemostofthebody
theliterature
butweresubjectedto statistical
analysisonlyas an afterthought
sherdsandpossiblyothershadbeendiscardedwithoutrecording.
We expecttheDAI-AARcontexts
to constitute
thefirst
majorpublicationofmaterialat Ostiato be processedin thisway.
ofamphoraeofanysort
For each horizonI presentfourgraphs.FirstI showthepercentages
fromthevariousregionsin orderto givean idea oftheirrelativecommercial
weightat Osarriving
tiaat thetimein question.The secondgraphis intendedto pointoutwhattheOstianmarketwas
in importing
interested
wine;oil and
bybreakingdowntheamphoraeaccordingto theircontents:
as
some
fishsaucesgroupedtogether
of
the
(becauseone cannotalwaysbe certain
content,
regions
theprimary
exportedboth);unknown.For thepurposesofthesegraphsI takeintoconsideration
contentsof theamphorae,as thereis no immediatewayto identify
possiblesecondarycontents
in anycase at sucha major
from
the
reuse
of
which
not
have
been
vessels,
deriving
may
important
as
of
the
wine
theproveniences
port Ostia. The thirdgraphillustrates
amphorae,and thefourth
does thesameforthecontainers
foroil and fishsauce.
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107
at Ostia:horizon
2 (100-150).
ofimports
Fig.5. Provenience
at Ostia:horizon2 (100-150).
Fig.6. Products
imported
wineat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig. 7. Provenience
horizon2 (100-150).
oil/fishsauceat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig.8. Provenience
horizon2 (100-150).
2. TheHorizons
The first
horizon(figs.1-4), attestedby3,367sherdsweighing
from
91.7 kg,coversthehalfcentury
a.d. 50 to 100.ThenItalyprovidesjustovera quarteroftheamphora-borne
and
at
Ostia
products
Iberiasomething
morethana third,withsouthern
Gaul and NorthAfricaexporting
lesseramounts
and theeasternMediterranean
lessyet(fig.1). Whenwe turnto theproducts,we see thatthereis a
somewhatstronger
in importing
interest
winethanoil or fishsauce (fig.2). Italyis theprovenience
of thelargestpercentageof wineamphorae(fig.3). WithinItaly,Campania(represented
by the
black-sand
and
the
rest
of
central
each
account
for
about
fabric)
half,while
typical
Tyrrhenian
Italy
a slightcontribution
of
comesfromtheAdriatic.SouthernGaul suppliesa significant
proportion
thewineamphorae,withIberiaand theeasternMediterranean/Black
less and
Sea area exporting
NorthAfricanextto nothing.Oil and fishsauce is muchlessvariegatedin itsprovenience:
about
from
the
Iberian
and
from
North
Africa
three-quarters
peninsula one-quarter
(fig.4).
The secondhorizon(figs.5-8), with7,991sherdsweighing
halfofthe
404.8kg,datesto thefirst
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108
ARCHER MARTIN
at Ostia:horizon3 (280-350).
ofimports
Fig.9. Provenience
at Ostia:horizon3 (280-350).
Fig. 10. Products
imported
wineat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig. 11. Provenience
horizon3 (280-350).
sauceat Ostia:
ofimported
oil/fish
Fig. 12. Provenience
horizon3 (280-350).
secondcentury.
andNorthAfricatoa lesserextentas suppliers
BynowIberiahasgainedsignificantly
ofamphora-borne
Gaul bothhavedeclined(fig.5). The change
products,whileItalyand southern
in theproductsimportedis striking:
winestandsat onlya third,and oil and fishsaucereachnearly
60 percent(fig.6). Lookingat theproveniences
ofwineamphorae,we see littlechange,however,
essentially
onlya declinein winefromIberiaand an increasein thatfromtheeasternMediterranean/BlackSea area (fig.7). The dataforItalyhidean important
shift:nowCampaniancontainers
arerareat Ostia,undoubtedly
becauseofthedestruction
causedbytheeruptionofVesuvius.The
containersremainsthesameas in theprevioushorizon:ca.
provenienceof theoil and fish-sauce
fromtheIberianpeninsulaand one-quarter
fromNorthAfrica(fig.8).
three-quarters
The thirdhorizon(figs.9-12) picksup thestorybetween280 and350,aftera gap ofmorethan
a century.
Here 2,610 sherdsweighing169 kg wererecovered.
The proveniences
of theamphoraborneproductsare quitedifferent
Now
North
half
Africa
accounts
for
of
them,whilethe
(fig.9).
dominant
Iberianpeninsuladeclinesto 16 percent.The percentages
forItalyand southern
formerly
Gaul continueto decrease.Those fortheeasternMediterranean,
What
risesignificantly.
however,
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109
at Ostia:horizon
4 (350-475).
ofimports
Fig.13.Provenience
at Ostia:horizon4 (350-475).
imported
Fig. 14. Products
wineat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig. 15. Provenience
horizon4 (350-475).
oil/
fishsauceat Ostia:
ofimported
Fig. 16. Provenience
horizon4 (350-475).
doesnotchangewithrespectto thefirst
inimporting
halfofthesecondcentury
is thestronginterest
oil and fishsauce,containers
forwhichmakeup two-thirds
ofthesample(fig.10). Now theeastern
with
Mediterranean/Black
Sea areais byfarthemostimportant
largely
supplierofwineinamphorae,
KapitanI and II amphoraeof unknownbut probablyAegeanor Ponticorigin(fig.11). Italyitself
accountsforthesecondlargestpercentage
ofwinecontainers,
smallflat-bottomed
amphorae
mostly
fromTyrrhenian
centralItaly.Amphoraefromsouthern
Gaul stillmakeup a significant
partofthe
of
this
horizon.
are
as
their
ends
at
the
residual,
sample,although
they essentially
production
beginning
The supplyofoil and fishsauceis inverted
withrespectto theprevioushorizon:nowthree-quarters
ofthecontainers
comefromNorthAfricaand one-quarter
fromtheIberianpeninsula(fig.12).
Horizon4 (figs.13-16) goes from350 to 475, with2,165 sherdsweighing90 kg.Here North
Africais evenmoreimportant
as a provenience
thanin theprevioushorizon(fig.13). The eastern
Mediterranean/Black
Sea areais thenextmostimportant,
althoughithaslostgroundwithrespect
to horizon3. Italy,on theotherhand,has increasedsomewhat.The Iberianpeninsulahas declined
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110
ARCHER MARTIN
tionofthedata fromPavolini1977a.Otherconsiderations
oftheamphoramaterialfromtheTermedel Nuotatorewill
be citedwhererelevant.
5 See Panella 1986,
fig.1, 610,fora synthesis.
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111
oilcontainers
oil.6The valuefordefinite
rosefromlessthan10percentintheFlavianperiod,tomore
intheHadrianicperiod,toalmost30 percent
than20 percent
intheAntonine
period,tomorethan40
in
the
late
Severan
and
to
somewhat
more
than
half
at
the
end
ofthefourth
period,
percent
century.
The Termedel Nuotatoreevidencefortheprovenience
ofthewineimportedto Ostia correofwineto OstiaintheHadrianic
spondstowhatourevidenceshows.Gaul was themajorexporter
and Antonineperiods,withsomecomingfromtheAegean.7Italianwinewas of relatively
minor
and
from
derived
not
with
concerned
the
trade
Tiber
(the
regionspreviously
importance
valleyand
In
centralItaly.8 thelate SeveranperiodGaulishwinewas declinEmilia)ratherthanTyrrhenian
butstillwellrepresented,
and easternwinecontainers
continuedto be attested.9
inginimportance
In fourth-century
contextswineamphoraefromtheEast makeup thebulkof thoserecognized.
fromMauretaniaand possiblysomeof
OtherwiseNorthAfricasuppliedsomewinein containers
vessels.
theseriesofsmall,flat-bottomed
fromtheTermedel Nuotatorealso agreesin
The situationwithoil and fishsauce containers
is
the
mainsupplierofimportedoil andfishsauce
The
Iberian
with
our
material.
peninsula
general
a strong
African
untiltowardtheendofthesecondcentury,
productsconstituted
although
secondary
In thefourth-century
presence,withNorthAfricatakingoverthedominantpositionafterthat.10
unrivaled.
contextsNorthAfricais practically
belowtheCasonedel Sale (current
museumandoffice
buildfrom
The earlyfifth
century
layers
our
Africa
to
of
the
covered
horizon
4.11
North
of
by
range
ing)at thecenter thecitybelong part
The onlyother
ofsome45 percent,whiletheEast suppliesnearlyone-quarter.
is theprovenience
of
with
is
the
area
of
the
Strait
somewhat
of
source
Messina,
amphorae
contemporary
significant
lessthan3 percent.As theAfricanamphoraeprobablyall containedoil or fishproductsand most
oftheeasternamphoraeand thosefromtheStraitofMessinaservedforwine,therelativeinterest
in importing
oil or fishproductsremainedconstantat about60 percent.
untilca. 450/470fromtheextramural
halfofthefifth
The contexts
century
datingfromthefirst
tothelatterpartofourhorizon4.12The threeimportant
basilicaatPianabellacorrespond
groupsare
insecond
of
are
from
the
Strait
Messina
containers
butthe
leadsbyfarwith57 percent,
thesame.Africa
whiletheeasternamphoraecometo 4.5 percent.Herethereappearsto be an
positionat 12 percent,
examined.
inimporting
oil andfishproductsthanattheotherlatecontexts
interest
evengreater
4. Conclusion
of theamphoraein thesehorizonscorrespondto trendsthathave
The shiftsin theproveniences
to Ostia.
theoriginofamphoraeimported
variousstudiesdocumenting
becomewellknownthrough
10Carandiniand Panella
1981,492^94, 496-497,498-499
seemto indicatethatAfricanamphoraefortheseproducts
theearly
fromtheAntonineperiodthrough
wereincreasing
Severanperiodto becomedominantin thelate Severanor
Gordianperiod;Panella 1983,figs.49-50, 260-261 shows
Baeticanoil as second to Africanin the Antonineperiod;
Panella1991,290-291 also placesBaeticanoil in thesecond
positionwithrespectto Africanin theAntonineperiod.
8 Panella
11Martin
1993,207-208; Martin2005,62-63.
1991,290.
9 Carandiniand Panella
1981,498,500.
12Ciarrocchi1993.
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112
ARCHER MARTIN
centralItalygivewayfirst
to onesfromtheIberianpeninsulaand then
AmphoraefromTyrrhenian
in lateantiquity.
to NorthAfricanones,witha moderaterisein easterncontainers
Thus,our data
offermerelya confirmation
withthecomfort
ofmoresolidquantification.
wineto importing
oil and fishsaucehas perhapsnot
The changein emphasisfromimporting
withinteresting
a phenomenon
been broughtso sharplyintofocusas in thisstudy.It is,however,
The timeof thechangeaccordingto our data,betweenthesecondhalfof thefirst
implications.
to theend oftheproduction
and thefirsthalfofthesecond,correspondsapproximately
century
villasthathad
ofthelargewineamphoraeofTyrrhenian
centralItalyassociatedwiththeslave-run
horizon.
flourished
thereforseveralcenturies,
whichstilldominateourfirst
in
forwinewithrespectto
of
a
demand
the
sudden
Discarding highly
unlikely
hypothesis
drop
theperiod
constant
oil andfishsaucebutratherassuming
itto haveremainedrelatively
throughout
of
the
wine
to replace
the
for origin
fromthefirst
to thefifth
one is facedwithaccounting
centuries,
centralItaly.Here one mustremember,
whatpreviously
was suppliedby thevillasof Tyrrhenian
as was said at thebeginning,
thatthispaper deals onlywithproducecarriedin amphorae.The
In thelast
difference
musthavebeentakenup bywinebroughtto marketin someotherfashion.13
fewdecadesithas oftenbeen recalledas a generalnoteofcautionthatwineand oil couldbe and
worldand thatnotall endedup
wereundoubtedly
producedin mostpartsoftheMediterranean
in
forbarrelsand skincontainis
and
evidence
There
transported amphorae.
literary iconographic
a
and
wine
and
oil
distance
within
local
market
could
a
short
ers,
simplyhavebeenplaced
moving
in miscellaneous
muchas vinosfusostillis today.Our statistics
containers,
suggestthatfromabout
A.D.100 a greaterpercentage
ofOstia'swinesupplyreacheditin somesuchway.
hinterland
ofRomeand Ostiacouldsupply(aboutone-fifth
on average).
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113
I am extremely
to ClementinaPanellaforherhelp
grateful
in establishing
theequivalences.
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114
ARCHER MARTIN
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115
116
ARCHER MARTIN
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117
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118
ARCHER MARTIN
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