American Academy in Rome - Fautores Abstract

Thursday 3 October - Panel VI

THE ROMAN PROVINCE OF DACIA: ASPECTS OF COMMERCE IN LIGHT OF AMPHORAS

Adrian Ardet

The most recent wave of archeological research conducted on Roman sites in Romania has revealed new and interesting problems connected with commerce in Roman Dacia. In a relatively short period of time, less than 100 years (from AD 106 to the end of the second century), the Roman province of Dacia developed greatly. Historical documents and archeological research demonstrate the existence of 12 Roman cities, a record number for a province founded at the beginning of the second century.

In the present stage of research, the study of Roman amphoras seems to develop in three distinct directions that have implications upon Roman commerce in eastern Europe. From this point of view we consider the analysis of amphoras on the following grounds:

The importation of Roman amphoras, proved by the widespread presence of the types Dressel 6B, Dressel 7-11, Forlimpopoli or Schorgendorfer 558
The existence of local amphora production that imitates well-known types in the Empire produced in important centers of Dacia: Romula, Apulum and Potaissa.
The discovery of a workshop in the center of Dacia, where a distinctive type of amphora was produced.

The discovery of a workshop at Micasasa (Sibiu county, Romania), a village situated 30 km east of the Mures River and 50 km from the Olt River, has changed our understanding of commerce in Roman Dacia. This type of amphora was published after discoveries in Dacia, Moesia Inferior, Moesia Superior and Pannonia. A recent discovery demonstrates the presence of this type of amphora in the south of Greece. Due to the similarities in form, some specialists have classified this amphora as the Benghazi MR Amphora 5, with a North African origin, while others considered it very close to the Zeest 84 type from the Black Sea area.

In the archeological sites where amphoras similar in form and color with those discovered at Micasasa have appeared, the dating was limited to the end of the second century and beginning of the third. Based upon these recent archeological discoveries in Tibiscum (Caransebes/Romania), we suggest that trade began in the middle of the second century AD. Mineralogical analysis conducted on samples of amphoras discovered at different Roman sites throughout Dacia indicates an origin on the Transilvanian Plateau.

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