Roman Amphoras in Britain

Paul Tyers

Cite this as: P. Tyers 1996 'Roman Amphoras in Britain', Internet Archaeology 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.1.6

Introduction to Amphoras: Amphoras are pottery containers which were used for the storage and transport in the Greek and Roman world. Their importance to the original users was their contents, and to the archaeologist they offer a direct reflection of the large-scale movement of goods, principally foodstuffs, in the ancient world. While many are large, two-handled and with a rounded or spiked foot, there are exceptions to all these rules, and `amphora' is not a typological category, but rather a functional grouping.

Atlas Pages: This paper is a survey of the principal classes of amphoras circulating in Britain during the Roman period (1st c. BC - 4th c. AD). The form, fabric, sources, contents and dating of each type are described in a series of Atlas Pages, accompanied by a series of computer-generated maps. The Atlas pages can also be accessed through a clickable map, based on the source of the amphoras, through a time-line, showing which types are circulating at any period, a visual index, as well as through a full text search. The supporting data include a bibliography and a database of the distribution of these amphoras in Britain.

Related publications: These pages are based on part of a forthcoming book, Roman Pottery in Britain, to be published by Batsford (London) in 1996.

This article will particularly appeal to: those interested in Roman amphoras, distribution of Roman pottery in Britain.
Key Features: Interactive map, interactive timeline, visual index, searchable database.
Keywords: archaeology; Roman; amphoras; Britain; pottery; transport; foodstuffs; Atlas; database
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