Archaeometric Analysis of Hellenistic Transport Amphorae from Aigion and Trapeza Diakopto, Greece

The city of Aigion, located in the northwestern Peloponnese, flourished as an important city-state especially during the Hellenistic period (323–32 BC). This is evidenced by abundant archaeological remains, including kilns, waste pits, and pottery workshop facilities. Among the ceramic goods produced by local workshops are various types of stamped and unstamped transport amphorae. Also, recent discoveries, approximately 15 km southeast in the village of Trapeza Diakopto, have uncovered a distinctive type of amphora—identified as Type B of the Corinthian–Corcyraean or Ionian–Adriatic tradition—from destruction layers dated to the 4th and early 3rd centuries BC. This study examines the technological attributes and provenance of transport amphorae from both sites through integrated petrographic and mineralogical analyses, drawing on 27 samples from Aigion and 17 from Trapeza. Petrographic analysis, focusing on compositional and textural characteristics, identified three distinct ceramic recipes (petrographic fabric groups AIG-1, AIG-2, and AIG-3) associated with amphora types I, II, and III at Aigion. Samples from Trapeza were grouped into two main fabric categories (TR1 and TR2a/b), along with a notable number of singletons. Moreover, petrographic observations combined with X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis provided insights into the firing technologies used. The results indicate that many amphorae from both Aigion and Trapeza were fired at temperatures below 850 °C, while others were fired at higher temperatures, ranging from approximately 900 °C to 1100 °C. The combined petrographic and mineralogical evidence illuminates local ceramic production techniques and interregional exchange patterns, contributing to a broader understanding of amphora manufacture and distribution in the northwestern Peloponnese from the Late Classical to the Late Hellenistic period.