Amphorae from the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond: Production and Distribution from the Early to the Late Roman Period

The wide collection of texts about amphoras from the eastern Mediterranean gathered by Anthi Kaldeli concentrates on the early and the late Roman periods (first–seventh century AD). This chronological framework fittingly complements existing research on the eastern Mediterranean, which has so far been dominated by works focusing predominantly (but not exclusively: see, e.g., Reynolds 2005) on Classical and Hellenistic containers (e.g., Empereur and Garlan 1986; Lund and Eiring 2004). Roman amphoras in turn have been well studied in the western Mediterranean (Baldacci, Kapitän, and Lamboglia 1972; Amphores romaines 1989; Bernal Casasola et al. 2021). The volume under review here includes 16 chapters authored by specialists in the fields of amphora production, their typological variations and distribution, and archaeometry, aiming to be another magnum opus in amphora studies.The volume starts with a short overview of the history of studies on Cypriot amphoras (Ch. 1), the most thoroughly studied eastern transport containers (Lawall and Lund 2013), which accurately enumerates the gaps that should be filled with future research. Nevertheless, concentrating on one category of containers seems slightly out of place—an introduction to a broader range of eastern Mediterranean amphoras would have fit better with the scope of the volume. This introduction is followed by two general chapters concentrating on quantification (Ch. 2) and the use of the Finite Element Method (FEM—a numerical technique for solving complex engineering and physical problems by breaking down a system into smaller, simpler parts called finite elements) (Ch. 3).The following chapters (Chs. 4–16) comprise detailed case studies, including the typologies of Coan, Ephesian (“micaceous jars”), Egyptian, and Cypriot amphoras during the Roman period, as well as the development and distribution of Cretan containers, especially during the third century AD. Two chapters concentrate on containers manufactured in the territory of modern Israel from the Hellenistic to the late Roman period. Data on two important production centers in the Black Sea region, Sinope and Heracleia Pontica, are also included. Finally, thorough studies devoted to individual amphora types provide new evidence for the development of MRA1, Kapitän II, and LRA1 amphoras from Soli Pompeiopolis. Most of the contributions address typological and technological issues associated with eastern amphora production, while fewer concentrate on imports and trade.There is no doubt that transport containers are important proxies for studying ancient Mediterranean exchange and commercial networks, which in turn provide considerable insight into broader economic and sociocultural questions. Therefore, knowledge of amphora production centers, their typological and chronological variations, and their contents and distribution is crucial for understanding the development of the Roman economy. From this point of view, this is a publication that researchers dealing with amphorae, trade, and, more generally, the economy of the Roman Mediterranean have long been waiting for. Thanks to a broad range of detailed case studies concentrated on Cyprus, Kos, Syro-Palestine, Cilicia, Judea, and the Black Sea region, as well as analyses of amphoras discovered in Alexandria, Caesarea Maritima, Sagalassos, Heracleia Pontica, and Ephesus, this volume furthers our knowledge of many amphora types and allows for their better identification, which in turn facilitates the assessment of eastern imports in the western Mediterranean. By adding substantially to our knowledge of the exchange networks that facilitated the widespread distribution of goods throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond, the book greatly contributes to a better understanding of the development of Roman trade. For example, it confirms that many Dressel 2–4 and 5 amphoras, the most widespread Roman wine type, were actually produced on Kos: this had been suspected but had long remained unconfirmed.The book thus fills a significant gap and is an important step forward in the studies of maritime exchange networks and the mechanisms underlying the Roman economy. It helpfully complements S. Demesticha’s 2015 publication Per Terram, Per Mare—devoted to analyses of seaborne trade based on amphora discoveries predominantly from the central Mediterranean—by providing more case studies regarding containers produced in the East. The chapters that are most broadly applicable demonstrate a new and more accurate method of amphora quantification (Ch. 2) and emphasize the opportunities that FEM offers with respect to assessing the performance of different amphora types and understanding their typological development (Ch. 3). Chapter 15, which is devoted to the amphora finds in the northern Black Sea region, is of particular importance, as it provides analyses of archaeological data from a region that will for years be excluded from any type of research due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Nevertheless, some chapters delve too much into amphora typologies and neglect other, more general themes concerning commercial exchange and organization of trading networks. Few chapters concentrate on economic issues or try to paint a bigger picture of commercial activities in the eastern Mediterranean. Many of them resemble archaeological reports rather than research papers. Amphora typologies are well described and enrich our knowledge with new, previously unpublished data from many regions. But these typologies are not always standardized, which complicates our understanding of amphora production. For example, the information about a new Levantine type named the “Akhziv amphora” (100) ignores its similarity to a type known from the Athenian Agora as “Agora M334,” already attributed by Reynolds to the area between Akko-Ptolemais and Tyre (Reynolds 2000). At the same time, it seems (based on illustrations) that the “Phoenician” amphora described in Chapter 8 might be a variant of Kingholm 117 / Peacock & Williams 66; however, no links to this existing type are mentioned. The lack of effort to standardize terminology can cause unnecessary confusion and hinders our understanding of typologies. This stresses how important it is to unify amphora typologies and make them more user-friendly.Several of the case study chapters fail to apply scientific techniques, such as petrographic analyses and amphora quantification. A number of chapters (e.g., Chs. 7 and 9) put forth very vague statements about quantity, including “amphorae, which were a common import . . . became rather rare” (89), “in small numbers” (87), or “appear in notable quantities” (116), without providing any statistical evidence in the form of tables and/or graphs that would allow for well-grounded comparisons. At the same time, distribution maps that give the same value to one fragment of an amphora and hundreds of fragments (Ch. 9) tell us very little about real commercial networks and scale of the trade. These criticisms do not apply to all chapters. The study of Sagalassos (Ch. 11), for example, which provides well-quantified data, is a notable exception, but one would like to see this approach to be common practice across the volume.The scarcity of archaeometric studies is another issue. Petrographic and chemical analyses are expensive and not accessible to all researchers, but these are currently the best tools for a comprehensive approach to ancient pottery. Here, however, only three out of sixteen chapters refer to results of inorganic analyses, while all completely ignore studies of organic residues. Few studies even refer to the results of Fantuzzi et al. (2019), which provides recent archaeometric analyses of eastern containers discovered in Spain. The content of amphoras from the western Mediterranean is much better understood, thanks to studies of macro-remains and organic residue analyses (Bernal Casasola et al. 2021), but uncertainties concerning jars produced in the eastern Mediterranean have not so far been dispelled. It is regrettable that this volume does not even touch upon these subjects.The book is richly illustrated with maps, graphs, drawings, and high-quality pictures. There are, however, elements that could have been improved. For example, it is a well-established practice to provide macroscopic pictures of fabrics in addition to written descriptions, but this has been ignored by some of the authors. There are also other, minor technical shortcomings, including some spelling mistakes (e.g., “Grezgor Majcherek” instead of “Grzegorz,” 167).Notwithstanding these petty flaws, Amphorae from the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond stands as a significant scholarly work on the subject. By examining shifts in pottery production and distribution, the volume highlights both continuity and change in Mediterranean trade dynamics over the centuries. With its meticulously researched and richly illustrated content, this book will appeal to archaeologists, ceramologists, and ancient historians. It offers comprehensive analyses of eastern transport containers and engages with vital issues regarding commercial exchange and economy in the Roman world.