Roman Amphora Contents: Reflecting on the Maritime Trade of
Foodstuffs in Antiquity gathers together the results of the
RACIIC International Congress (Roman Amphora Contents International
Interactive ...Conference, Cádiz, 2015), dedicated to the
distinguished Spanish amphorologist Miguel Beltrán Lloris. The aim
is to reflect on the current state of knowledge about the
palaeocontents of Roman amphorae. With over 30 specialists from
different countries, the text examines four elements diachronically
throughout the Roman period up to the 7th century, with some
insights on pre-Roman times: 1) the intimate relationships between
amphorae and their contents, from an interdisciplinary perspective
(from tituli picti to the evidence from underwater sites,
including the problems of reuse); 2) the contribution and current
state of knowledge concerning archaeometric approaches (especially
organic residue analysis); 3) the evidence at regional / provincial
level (from Lusitania to Egypt); and 4) recent case studies, from
Corinth, Pompeii and Arles to the Fretum Gaditanum , which
allow us to illustrate the different and combined study methods,
necessarily interdisciplinary (archaeological, archaeobotanical,
archaeozoological, epigraphic, palynological or biomolecular), in
order to advance in this transcendental theme and its significance
for the economic history and maritime traffic of the Ancient
World.
En este artículo se aborda la cuestión de la producción, comercialización y consumo de vino en el Noroeste peninsular, en particular en la región portuguesa de Trás-os-Montes, inscrita en el sur del ...conventus Asturum (antigua provincia de la Gallaecia). A pesar de la total ausencia de ánforas en el yacimiento romano de Castro de Avelãs (Bragança) y en su entorno inmediato, es posible que este producto, tan importante en época romana, se haya consumido y quizás hasta producido y distribuido en la zona usando contenedores diferentes. En par ticular se propone que un tipo de tinajas se hayan usado para el almacenamiento, transpor te y quizás hasta para la producción de vino. Esta hipótesis se refuerza con los análisis realizados mediante cromatografia de gases/espectometría de masas sobre tres de estos recipientes cerámicos recuperados en el yacimiento, registrando marcadores compatibles con el vino. Ante estos datos, se ha abierto la discusión sobre el consumo y la producción de vino (y de otros productos) en este territorio del sureste de la Gallaecia.
This work presents the results of archaeobotanical examinations of fragments of monumental
terracruda
sculptures from the Buddhist sites of Tepe Narenj and Qol-e-tut (Kabul, Afghanistan—5th to ...eleventh centuries CE). The results indicate that different plants and parts of plants were intentionally added to the clay mixtures. In particular, we identified an extensive presence of bast fibres, which were not evidenced by macroscopic examinations and previous analyses. Among the fibres, we highlight the presence of ramie/nettle, whose use has been identified for the first time in this type of artworks. The determination of these herbaceous additives offer a new perspective for studying the manufacturing technique, as well as an anchor point to follow this tradition along the Silk Roads. It also provides relevant information that should be taken into account in the design of conservative interventions adapted to the specific nature of this heritage.
During the excavations carried out in Via di Mercurio (Regio VI, 9, 3) in Pompeii, in 2015, some red, green, black, and brown wall painting fragments were found in the preparatory layer of an ancient ...pavement which was probably built after the 62 AD earthquake. These fragments, derived from the rubble, were used as coarse aggregate to prepare the mortar for building the pavement. The wall painting fragments are exceptionally well preserved, which is an uncommon occurrence in the city of Pompeii. However, as they were enclosed in the mortar, the wall painting fragments were protected from the high temperatures (probably ranging between 180 °C and 380 °C) produced by the eruption in 79 AD. The pigmented outer surface of each sample was analyzed using a non-destructive multi-analytical approach, by combining spectrophotometric colorimetry and portable X-ray fluorescence with micro-Raman spectroscopy. The compositional characterization of the samples revealed the presence of cuprorivaite, goethite, and celadonite in the green pigments; hematite in the red pigments; goethite in the brown pigment; and charcoal in the black pigment. These data probably provide us with the most “faithful picture” of the various red, green, black, and brown pigments used in Pompeii prior to the 79 AD eruption.
El artículo trata sobre el estudio del uso de algunas cerámicas medievales y de los alimentos preparados y consumidos en el Hospital medieval del Santa Maria della Scala en Siena (Italia Central). ...Esta investigación muestra la integración entre los datos obtenidos con el análisis arqueológico y arqueométrico (utilizando el análisis de residuos orgánicos) de las cerámicas y la investigación sobre los documentos históricos encontrados en el mismo contexto, el hospital medieval del Santa Maria della Scala en Siena. Después del estudio arqueológico-formal, algunas cerámicas han sido seleccionadas para el análisis con cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas con el fin de identificar los residuos orgánicos preservados y conocer su contenido original. Los datos obtenidos han sido integrados con la información proporcionada por los documentos escritos encontrados durante el estudio del Hospital acerca de las compras y de la vida cotidiana en su interior.
This paper reports the findings of an archaeometric study performed on 14 architectural earthenwares from the archaeological site of S. Omobono, located in the historic center of Rome (Italy). The ...archaeological site, accidentally discovered in 1937, includes the remains of a sacred area previously occupied by two temples, one of which was converted into the church of S. Omobono, in 1575. The samples, dated between the 7th and the 6th century BC, belong to different sectors of the site. Their petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical characterization was performed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The compositional data obtained were also subjected to the principal component analysis (PCA) in order to highlight similarities and differences among the samples. By combining geochemical and petrographic data, we were able to identify several different fabrics. Furthermore, the study provided valuable information on the firing temperatures of some samples and the provenance of the raw materials, by analyzing the chemical composition of clinopyroxenes present as non-plastic inclusions.
Installations for the production of oil and wine are key features for the understanding of ancient Mediterranean economy. The analysis of the organic residues preserved in the vats of production ...installations has been demonstrated to be a useful tool to identify their function. However, to better understand the spatial distribution of activities, the analysis of the residues preserved in the floors can be performed. In this study, we present the results of chemical analyses of samples taken from the vat and floors of a Roman production installation found in Lecce (southern Italy). The samples were analysed using spot tests aimed at identifying the presence of fatty acids and phosphates. The results of the analyses were plotted in a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform and interpolated with Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) to determine the spatial distribution of the residues. A number of the samples were selected for analysis with gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to better identify the origin of the fats. The chemical analysis of the residues confirmed the hypothesis that the installation was used for oil production. In one sample, castor oil was identified. This oil could be present either because it was produced there or because it was used in the oil mill for different reasons, possibly for lighting.
•A Roman production installation was studied to identify the substance produced.•The floors and the vat of the installation were analysed with spot tests and GC–MS.•The results show that the installation was used for the production of oil.•The spatial distribution of residues is related to the activities performed.•Castor oil was identified in one sample of the floor.
•North-eastern Italian upland site Busa delle Vette was investigated.•Focus on the main occupation period (the Early Middle Ages, 6thto 9thc. AD).•Thirty ceramic sherds of cooking pots were analysed ...through organic residues analysis.•We identified ruminant adipose products, sometimes with ruminant dairy products and millet.•The results are consistent with the archaeozoological and archaeobotanical records.•The results suggest that the cooking pots were mainly used to prepare soups and stews.
The Busa delle Vette site was investigated as part of the UPLanD project, focused on the archaeology of pastoralism, to shed light on the lifeways of pastoral groups during the summer months. The site is composed of a hut and some enclosures located on a glacial cirque at 1850 m asl, in the Dolomites (Veneto, Italy), dating back from the Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (5th to the 11th century CE). Initial data suggested that the hut was used by groups of shepherds for transhumance, but new evidence began to point to a possible different function.
Thirty ceramic sherds of cooking pots dated to the Early Middle Ages (6th to 9th century CE), were analysed through organic residues analysis to identify their use and reconstruct the dietary habits of the people living at the site. The results of the analysis were discussed in relation to unpublished archaeozoological and archaeobotanical evidence to shed some light on the activities that were carried out in the investigated hut and the function of the site. The findings suggest that the cooking pots were mainly used to prepare soups and stews. Ruminant adipose products were identified in most of the investigated pots, sometimes associated with ruminant dairy products and millet. These data are consistent with the archaeozoological and archaeobotanical records, suggesting an intense use of this structure, not limited to seasonal pastoral practices but also associated to the mobility of troops and travellers through the local mountain passes. More research is necessary to validate this fascinating hypothesis, as comparable sites have never been identified in the Alps.
The identification of the organic residues preserved in archaeological materials yields good insights into understanding food production, trade and consumption. Wine is one of the most important ...beverages produced, traded and consumed in the Mediterranean area. Consequently, it is important to identify its presence in ancient materials. Nevertheless, the identification of wine markers is still an object of discussion. We present here the results obtained from analysing different materials using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which allowed for the identification of tartaric acid and other markers of wine. The method was first tested on experimental and traditional materials that have been used until recently to store and/or produce wine and was then used for investigating archaeological materials. The experiments also involved the degradation of wine through cooking, drastic heating and burial for seven years. The results from the analysis of ceramic and plaster materials are discussed.
The importance of the proposed methodology is that it allows the identification of traces of wine using the same facilities that are usually employed for the study of the organic residues preserved in archaeological samples (GC/MS), with no need for HPLC, LC/MS/MS or THM/GC/MS, thus allowing a larger number of laboratories to detect traces of wine.
► In the paper we studied wine residues in different kinds of materials. ► A method of analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry is proposed. ► Wine is identified in experimental, traditional and archaeological materials. ► Examples of the analysis of both ceramic and plaster materials are shown. ► The alteration of wine residues with different degradation processes is discussed.
The early consumption of wine or other grape derivatives (such as vinegar or must) is suggested from organic residues analysis conducted on Bronze Age pottery recovered from two sites in ...north-eastern Italy, Pilastri di Bondeno (Ferrara) and Canale Anfora (Aquileia, Udine). Pilastri is part of the Terramare culture of the Po plain, from which the archaeobotanical context has suggested that Vitis vinifera L. was known and used during the Middle Bronze Age. At Canale Anfora Vitis, macro-remains were found in earlier levels of the local stratigraphy. Organic residue analysis conducted by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry allowed the identification of tartaric acid in twenty samples out of thirty-one recovered from different ceramic vessels (e.g., drinking cups, coarse ware pots, presumed storage vessels) found at the two archaeological sites and dated to the 15th-14th centuries BC. Based on integrated studies, we suggest that grape juice derivatives (including wine or vinegar) were likely consumed at the sites. This is the earliest direct evidence of grape derivatives consumption in this area. Combined with the botanical evidence, these findings contribute to our understanding of the emergence of wine consumption in the western Mediterranean.
•Tartaric acid is present in Bronze Age ceramics from northeastern Italy (c. 1500–1300 BCE).•We hypothesize that wine was consumed and possibly produced at the studied sites.•Traces of tartaric acid were detected in cups and vessels with different forms and capacities.•We hypothesize different ways of consumption and different uses of wine and its derivatives.
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