Roman Byzantine Amphorae from a Terrestrial Site and its Underwater Environs: Horbat Castra and Kfar Samir (Southern Levant) as a Case Study

Abstract

This study deals with storage jars/amphorae from the Late Roman and Byzantine periods found in the salvage excavations at the site of Horbat Castra, located at the foot of the Carmel Ridge across from Kfar Samir. The excavation was carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority and directed by Z. Yeivin and G. Finkielsztejn. Numerous storage jars/amphorae were found at the site. Horbat Castra functioned mostly in the Byzantine period (4th–6th centuries AD) and seems to have been a main centre for wine and oil production, supplying its immediate neighbourhood, the general region and overseas destinations. Following the analysis of the amphorae types at Horbat Castra, an interesting quantitative picture emerges. From among the imported amphorae there are a number of the LRA 1, LRA 2 and LRA 10 types. There are also Tunisian amphorae. For the closed regional forms we have the Bag-shaped Jar, which is the most common jar in the region. The ceramics are then compared to the storage jars/amphorae found in the sea along the coast of Kfar Samir, in underwater surveys carried out on behalf of the marine unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority under the direction of E. Galili and Y. Sharvit. The finds from the sea are mostly local jar types. An effort is made to understand the nature of the trade and economy of the northern coast of the Carmel Ridge, and the sea transport of the Roman-Byzantine period in the Southern Levant. The varied types of imported goods found at Horbat Castra bear witness to trade which encompassed much of the Mediterranean basin.