The application of ceramic petrology to the study of ancient Greek transport amphorae : with special reference to Corinthian amphora production

Whitbread, Ian Kenneth (1986) The application of ceramic petrology to the study of ancient Greek transport amphorae : with special reference to Corinthian amphora production. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

Transport amphorae were employed throughout the Greco-Roman World for the conveyance of liquid and semi-liquid produce, principally wine and oil. Greek amphorae of the Archaic to Hellenistic periods are the subject of this thesis. Archaeological evidence for the production of Greek amphorae, their transportation and importation is briefly reviewed. Various aspects of amphora study - examination of stamp impressions, vessel forms, ancient literary sources, coin devices and the use of scientific methods of analysis - are examined with an emphasis on the potential value of ceramic petrology in the development of this field of research. Ceramic petrology is concerned with the microscopic analysis of materials from which ceramics have been made. Current applications of the analytical method are examined both in relation to the allied fields of sedimentary petrography and soil micromorphology, and in terms of fabric description, characterisation, the investigation of ancient ceramic technology and the determination of provenances of ancient ceramics. A method of systematic description is proposed with the aims of increasing the amount of information extracted from the study of ceramic thin sections and of providing a secure foundation for the interpretation of data derived from ceramic petrography. The proposed method is tested by means of its application in the study of fabrics of Rhodian, Knidian, Koan, Samian, Chian, Lesbian, Thasian, Mendean, Parian, Sinopean, Zenon group, prow-stamp group, Parmeniskos group and Corinthian amphorae, with particular attention paid to the characterisation of fabric groups and provenance determination. The study of Corinthian amphorae is also orientated towards the examination of ancient ceramic technology. In particular, this includes the study of raw material procurement and processing, and an investigation of relationships between the amphorae and other Corinthian ceramics with respect to the selection of raw materials and methods of vessel construction. (D75825/87)

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