Amphorae as indicators of trade and diet in Cibalae (Pannonia)

Abstract

Cibalae (Vinkovci, Croatia) was a significant Roman town in Pannonia. It had an economic and a strategic importance. The aim of this research was to analyse the amphorae that were found in the settlement using archaeological methods and petrography in order to suggest possible production sites, get a better knowledge of the settlement’s economy, exploit the amphorae’s historical aspects and study the population’s diet and level of Romanization. Sherds belonging to the Africana 1A, Aquincum 78, Beltrán 2A, Bojović 549/554, Camulodunum 189, Dressel 2-4, Dressel 5, Dressel 6B, Dressel 7-11, Dressel 20, Dressel 24 family, Dressel 30, Forlimpopoli, Kapitän 2, Knidian, LRA 1, Rhodian and Schörgendorfer 558 types were found. We can conclude that during the 1st-5th/7th centuries AD, the amphorae containing wine, olive oil, fish sauces and various fruits were imported to Cibalae from different territories and workshops in Hispania, Italia, Istria, the Aegean, the Black Sea coast, Cilicia or Cyprus, the Levant, North Africa and presumably the Danube region. It is important to point out that seven Dressel 6B amphorae were made in a yet unidentified workshop probably outside of Istria and northern Italia, the regions usually associated with the production of these vessels.