Punic Amphoras Found at Corinth, Greece: an Investigation of Their Origin and Technology

Abstract

Corinth Excavations, American School of Classical Studies at Athens Among the large deposit of amphoras of the 5th century B.C. found in a recently excavated building at ancient Corinth, Greece, were many of Punic type, which the excavator associated with the remains in the same building of filleted fish. These amphoras were of rather uniform shape, and yet they exhibited a wide range of colors and textures. The present paper, beginning with a description of the amphoras in hand specimen, reports the characterization of the amphoras by six techniques of physico-chemical analysis that has yielded information on the amphoras' technology and origin. On the basis of four techniques, chemical analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray radiography, and petrological analysis, the results all point to the use of two types of clay and two general manufacturing methods, giving rise to amphoras of contrasting physical properties. They were produced at a single or neighboring centers. The petrological results are consistent with an origin along the Atlantic coast close to the Straits of Gibraltar, either in Morocco or Spain.