AGAME

"Archaic and classical Greek Amphoras in north-western Mediterranean area and central Europe: diffusion, origin and contents"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The transport amphoras are of great importance for the investigation of the commercial activities in ancient times since they use for the transport of wine, oil, meat, fish, and other perishable organic materials. Moreover, they are tangible traces of the movement of goods and peoples and their intermingling. However, their investigation in Central Europe has not been taken up to the same extent as in the Mediterranean area in Archaic and Classical period (600-400 BC), the time when extensive long-distance exchange develops throughout Europe. The AGAME project will focus on the investigation of Greek amphoras through a novel combination of archaeological, historical and archaeometric methods. The objectives of the project are: to study the unpublished Greek amphoras from Central Europe; to compare these amphoras with examples known from north-western Mediterranean area (North Italy/South France); to analyse residual contents of these amphoras through biomolecular archaeology. These objectives will be achieved through archaeological data collection and residue analysis of amphoras from Central Europe and comparative analysis with Mediterranean materials. The outcome of the project will allow: to specify the geographical diffusion and the origin of the Mediterranean alimentary products in Central Europe; to locate the routes of the Mediterranean products from the North Italy and/or South France coasts towards Central Europe, to investigate the means of transport and to identify the commercial and cultural middlemen in this exchange; to single out the primary contents of the amphoras. The principal aim of the project is investigate archaeology of perishable or non-recordable data of European history involving economic, social and alimentary aspects of the period of the first large-scale commercial and cultural contacts between Mediterranean and Continental European worlds, great movements and integration of peoples and present Occidental culture origin.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU project revealed hidden secrets of ancient trade. Examining amphorae with new techniques, the study identified commodities traded between Greek-Europe and central Europe, and the routes taken, revealing a surprisingly complex economy.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Amphorae were ancient ceramic containers, tall and roughly bottle-shaped, used for storage and transportation of food and liquids. Remains of amphorae often contain traces of the goods they once held, giving them value today as physical artefacts of ancient economies.

The EU-funded AGAME project studied previously undocumented Greek amphorae found in central Europe. Using a novel combination of methods, including biomolecular archaeology, the study compared the European amphorae against others known from the north-Italian/eastern-French coast. The work permits assessment of the movement of goods across Europe, and the routes taken.

Such information allows reconstruction of aspects of an ancient economy, providing particular insights into the first exchanges between the Classical world and the rest of Europe. The two-member project began in late 2010 and lasted two years.

Results showed greater complexity than project researchers expected. Firstly, Greek amphorae in inland Europe were broadly spread. The distribution ranged east to west from central France to south-western Germany, and north to south from Lorrainen (north-west France) to Lyon (middle Rhone valley). Nevertheless, early-period amphorae were not located in Austria or Switzerland, and the investigation ruled out a trans-Alpine route. Apart from Greek amphorae, the study area also contained specimens from older societies, including archaic western Mediterranean or non-Massalian cultures including Etruscan and western Greek. However, amphorae from those societies were not found in the northern Adriatic.

The distribution reveals a picture of trade that is difficult to represent as a diffusion map. The earliest examples date from the sixth century BCE, located around today's southern-German/French border. Examples from nearby German sites date from around the end of the sixth century BCE. Specimens from central France date from the mid fifth century BCE, while the earliest Swiss amphorae date from the late fifth century BCE.

AGAME revealed a hitherto unknown complexity to early trade between Greeks and central Europeans, regarding distribution, routes and the specific goods being traded. Such information also provides valuable insights into cultural and economic aspects of the exchange.