Greek Transport Amphorae: A Petrological and Archaeological Study (Fitch Laboratory Occasional Paper)

For five and a half centuries amphorae were used by the ancient Greeks to transport olive oil, wine and other liquid and semi-liquid products. The analysis of this distinctive pot form now provides our main source of information on the lost organic staples of the classical economy. Undiagnostic fragmentary amphorae remains are often the most common ceramic find during excavations in the Mediterranean, and until now a methodology has been lacking for their effective study. Traditionally chronological and regional types have been established by stylistic analysis and the incomplete evidence of administrative stamps. In this book Whitbread surveys this methodology but compares it with the results of his own extensive work on the ceramic petrology of Greek amphorae. His pioneering approach not only reveals new information about Greek trade but also sheds fascinating light on the production of these commonly found vessels.