Punic amphorae found at Corinth: provenance analysis and implications for the study of long-distance salt fish trade in the Classical period

Abstract

The Punic Amphora Building (PAB) at Corinth, Greece, excavated in the late 1970s and dated to the mid-5th century BC, provided a remarkable archaeological context for the study of trade connections between Classical Corinth and the Punic West, based on the finding of hundreds of Punic amphorae and associated fish remains. The first studies indicated that these amphorae were mostly imported from the Straits of Gibraltar region, although the exact area/s of provenance remained undetermined. The recent macroscopic restudy of these amphorae suggested the existence of several fabrics, most probably associated with different production sites in southern Spain and/or northern Morocco. In order to verify this hypothesis, a provenance analysis of this material was performed. A total of 178 amphorae from Corinth’s PAB were analysed through a combination of thin section petrography and elemental analysis by WD-XRF. Further information was obtained from the analysis of reference materials from production areas, including amphorae from known Punic kiln sites in the western Mediterranean and associated potential raw materials for ceramic production. The results indicated that Punic Gadir, present-day Cadiz, was the main supplier of salt fish which was packaged in amphorae and shipped to Corinth in the fifth century BC, although other Punic sites, especially those located on the coast of present-day Malaga province, also participated in these commercial interactions. The results of this research are of particular importance for the study of long-distance trade networks between the eastern and the western Mediterranean in the Classical period.