The
Cargo
Of the estimated 2-3,000 amphora INA identified only 2 to 3 Rhodian
amphoras on board stating that many more could lie within the pile
of amphora and other material. The predominant cargo seems to be
Koan wine carried in amphora like those pictured right in figure
6.
Fig. 6: Koan amphora dating from the 3rd to 1st centuries B.C.
The second amphora from the right is the most representative of
the type found at this wreck site.
The wine of Kos was admired, but it was a relatively inexpensive
grade, bought in larger quantities; like Rhodian and Knidian, it
sometimes had seawater added as a preservative. Koan stamps occasionally
include the letters KO, short for Koion, but the jars have been
chiefly identified by the Koan coin symbols and the many Koan names
in the stamps on the very distinctive double-barreled handles (Fig.
7).
Fig. 7: On the Left a Koan amphora handle stamped with the seal
of Dorimachos
On the right a Koan amphora handle stamped with crab and club, symbols
on the coins of Kos.
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Rhodian amphoras, like those in figure 8, had a creamy appearance
with a peg toe and acutely angled handles. A pair of stamps which
may contain the "rose" or rayed head of the sun god Helios
often marks them. This same image of Helios appeared on Rhodian
coins. On Rhodian amphoras the stamps contain two names, one an
endorsement, perhaps by a licensed manufacturer, the other a date,
"in the term of so-and-so" usually an annually appointed
official, the common way of expressing date in antiquity.
Why amphoras were dated is not fully understood. The chief purpose
may have been to verify the amphora as a container of a standard
capacity.
Fig. 8: Rhodian amphora from the 3rd Century B.C.
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Another purpose may have been to date the contents, identifying
for instance the age or special vintage of finer wines and the freshness
of the cheaper wines that were generally not worth drinking after
a year. Traders and tax collectors had to recognize the make of
a jar to know the capacity within a given tolerance and verify the
stated value of the contents. Amphoras varied in size but generally
ranged between 2 and 3 feet tall and held a little less than 7 US
gallons when filled to the brim.
The shaping and marking for easy recognition of these commercial
containers provides important evidence about the history of ancient
trade. Ancient trade routes can be extrapolated from their known
point of origin, revealed through the markings and morphology, to
the sites were they have been found. Large collections of intact
amphoras with are relatively rare finds on terrestrial sites. (Fig.
9).
Fig. 9: Pair of rectangular stamps from the Rhodian manufacturer
Agoranax. Dated in the term of Sostratos and in the Month of Artamitios.
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