Documentation

The documention of amphorae includes the description of their shape, dimensions, and characteristics of the fabric. This information will be placed in an electronic database Simplex elaborated by Charalambos Paraskeva. Each amphora fragment will be drawn and photographed.

Provenance of amphorae

One of the most important information sought in the project is concerned with the production sites of the analysed amphorae found in Nea Paphos. It is important to distinguish between amphorae imported to Nea Paphos from various centres outside and on the island, but also define which examples could have been produced in the city itself. Amphora shapes, stamps (if existing) and fabrics will be compared based on macroscopic analyses. Furthermore, petrographic studies (thin section method), as well as a chemical analysis of the amphora fabrics (p-XRF and NAA methods) will be carried out.

Dating of amphorae

The examination will involve only amphorae discovered in early, mid- and late Hellenistic deposits which suggests that they were not in use at later times. The age of an amphora will also be determined based on the features of its shape and fabric through a comparison with amphorae discovered at other archaeological sites (e.g. in ceramic workshops), where the dating has already been defined.

Number of amphorae

The research will also aim to define the number of amphorae from certain production centres that were in use in the city. As they have survived in fragments, the rims and toes will be counted, before conducting statistical calculations (e.g. Kendall’s tau method, Robinson’s compliance factor, and Kintigh’s equality of occurrence) in order to determine the proportion of amphorae from that centre to the total assemblage from the three periods. The findings will be used to describe the dynamics of Paphian trade.

Contents of amphorae

Transport amphorae mainly provide evidence that products in circulation were wine and olive oil, but also pitch, used e.g. in ship construction. Most of the information about the amphorae content comes from ancient written sources. On/inside the amphora walls, traces of organic residue remain, whose composition can be determined through chemical tests, although they are still rarely undertaken. The project will examine organic residue from selected examples (using GC and GC-MS methods) to determine what products were contained in specific types of amphorae.

Economy of Nea Paphos

Results of detailed studies will be applied to the economic model developed by M. Lawall for the transport amphorae discovered in Athens, Troy and Ephesus. It illustrates the economic issues of each of these centres and the relations between them. Its elements include: the city’s place in the exchange of goods by sea (manufacturer, exporter, importer, transshipment port), the directions of the flow of goods, the city’s role in financing trade, and the organisation of amphora production. Adding information to the model based on amphorae discovered in the area of Nea Paphos will, on one hand, help illustrate the economy of the city, and on the other – extend the territorial scope of the discussion.