Roman Amphora Contents: Reflecting on the Maritime Trade of Foodstuffs in Antiquity

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.

Darío Bernal-Casasola is Full Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain, specializing in the Roman Economy and Maritime Archaeology. He studied at Madrid and his main research topics are marine resources exploitation in antiquity and Roman trade. He has directed field projects in Spain, Italy and Morocco.

Michel Bonifay is Research Director at the Centre Camille Jullian (Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CCJ, Aix-en-Provence, France). He is an archaeologist specialising in the classification, production and distribution of Roman African ceramics and their economic significance. He has been involved in field projects in Tunisia, Libya and Algeria.

Alessandra Pecci is Lecturer in Archaeology, Universitat de Barcelona. She specialises in archaeometry and food practices, mainly through the organic residue analysis of archaeological materials, mortars and plasters. She has participated in international and interdisciplinary projects in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Mexico.

Victoria Leitch is an Honorary Research Fellow at Durham University and a Research Associate at the Centre Camille Jullian (Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CCJ, Aix-en-Provence, France), specialising in Roman African/Libyan ceramics. She is Publications Manager at the Society for Libyan Studies and Editor of Libyan Studies.