One amphora, different contents

Abstract

Although scarce, there are hints in historical sources concerning those bulk goods in high demand that were most probably transported in amphorae, wine being the most common. Supplementary data from archaeobotanical analyses of the contents of amphorae as well as epigraphic evidence, such as graffiti and dipinti, confirm this and enable a larger variety of products to be identified, sometimes pointing towards secondary uses of amphorae. Additional light is shed on the primary uses of Byzantine amphorae by the fact that Günsenin type I amphorae were produced according to specific metric standards depending on the product that they were intended to transport originally – red wine, white wine or wheat. In conclusion, it may be stated that, like Early Byzantine specimens, amphorae from the 9th to the mid‑15th century were containers with several purposes, but it is still difficult to establish a definitive link between certain vessel types and the corresponding products they carried.