amphoras-msg - 6/16/09
Conical clay storage containers used in Classical times and sporadically into the Middle Ages.
NOTE: See also the files: aquamaniles-msg, wine-msg, jugs-pitchrs-lnks, p-tableware-msg, Throwing-Pots-art, pottery-msg, commerce-msg, ceramics-bib, coopering-msg.
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This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: Eadric Anstapa <eadric at scabrewer.com>
Date: March 28, 2008 6:17:53 PM CDT
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] "Period Containers"
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Other than for a few days storage, what evidence do you have for wine
> being stored in ceramic jars or even jugs before 1600?
Huh? Amphora were used to hold, haul, and store everything including
wines and were ceramic jars/jugs. Used well into period and certainly
way way way pre-period.
Whole shipwrecks laden with Amphora that had been filled with wine have
been found.
Go to the Aphoras project at
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/amphoras/cgi-bin/well? and enter wine
as a search term and you'll get plenty of documentation references.
-EA
From: Eadric Anstapa <eadric at scabrewer.com>
Date: March 28, 2008 7:11:37 PM CDT
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] "Period Containers"
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> I was actually thinking of storage of wine at table and
> such that could be conveniently resealed.
Rather than just the larger ones that were used for transport, smaller
amphora where also used on the table and in the kitchen that could be
resealed. Some had little racks to hand them in, others even had a base where they were freestanding. Like this one:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Anforagrega-
atenas.jpg/377px-Anforagrega-atenas.jpg
Or like Dressel types 28 or 29. http://www.abc.se/~pa/mar/dressel.htm
<http://www.abc.se/%7Epa/mar/dressel.htm>;
-EA
From: "John Atkinson" <johnmatkinson at gmail.com>
Date: March 29, 2008 6:30:33 AM CDT
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] "Period Containers"
On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 6:56 PM, Stefan li Rous
<StefanliRous at austin.rr.com> wrote:
> On Mar 28, 2008, at 6:17 PM, Eadric Anstapa wrote:
> Thank you. I was actually thinking of storage of wine at table and
> such that could be conveniently resealed. But it is a good point that
> amphora were used some past Classical times for transporting wine.
> That site seems to give 6th century as the latest, and even then only
> in the eastern Mediterranean. Not sure why the use of amphora seems
> to have dropped off in the beginning of medieval times, unless it has
> to do with the general demise of civilization and trade.
ODB says amphora are in usage at least through the 13th century and
have been found in 10th century sites in Cherson, Pliska, Tomis, and
Dinogetia, but in the 14th century begin to be replaced, possibly by
barrels (which do not survive). They are used for everything from
large-scale shipping to household storage.
The Book of the Eparch (10th century) refers to kapeloi (wine
merchants) who sell in wine in three measures--stathmoi (30 litrai),
angeia, and minai. The mina was 3 litrai. A litra is a unit of
weight approx 320g, not sure precisely how that translates into a
liquid measure.
As for conveniently resealed, I doubt that is going to be an issue
given the way even modern Greeks put it away.
At any rate, the demise of the amphora in the West is undoubtedly
linked to the near-total collapse of sea trade on the Med in the 7th
century. I can recommend a good book on the subject.
Ioannes Dalassenos
From: "Anthony N. Emmel" <lord_kjeran at yahoo.com>
Date: March 29, 2008 12:38:34 PM CDT
To: ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: [Ansteorra] Amphorae
From: Stefan li Rous
<<< But it is a good point that
amphora were used some past Classical times for transporting wine.
That site seems to give 6th century as the latest, and even then only
in the eastern Mediterranean. Not sure why the use of amphora seems
to have dropped off in the beginning of medieval times, unless it has
to do with the general demise of civilization and trade.
Ward-Perkins in his book The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization uses the evidence in arachaelogical digs of pottery, including amphorae, as a clue to the breakdown in trade and production after the fall of Rome. Intersting study.
http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Rome-End-Civilization/dp/0192807285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&;s=books&qid=1206812096&sr=1-1
Bernhard von Bruck
Rosenfeld
<the end>