Recidue analysis of late roman amphorae.pdf

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LRCW3

Late Roman Coarse Wares,Cooking Wares and Amphorae

in the MediterraneanArchaeology and archaeometry

Comparison between western and easternMediterranean

Edited by

Simonetta Menchelli, Sara Santoro,

Marinella Pasquinucci and Gabriella Guiducci

Volume I

BAR International Series 2185 (I)2010


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363

RESIDUE ANALYSIS OF SOME LATE ROMAN AMPHORA COMING FROM THE EXCAVATIONS

OF THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF FLORENCE

ALESSANDRA PECCI,1LAURA SALVINI,

2FEDERICO CANTINI

3

1Archaeometry Laboratory. Department of Archaeology, University of Siena, Via Roma 56, 53100 Siena ([email protected],)2Centro di Analisi e Determinazioni Strutturali, University of Siena, via A. Moro, 53100 Siena ([email protected])

3Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Pisa, via Galvani 1, 56126 Pisa ([email protected])

Between 2001 and 2004, excavations were carried out in Via de Castellani, in the center of Florence under the direction of theSoprintendenza per i Beni Archoelogici della Toscana. The Universities of Siena and Florence carried out the study of the materialsrecovered during the excavation.

The excavation concerned an area between the south roman wall and the Arno river, where the earlier occupation is dated to the lateAntiquity (4thcentury). Between the 5thand the 7thcentury a natural depression of the ground was filled up with the citys rubbish

and alluvial layers. Only few post-holes and a dyke testify the use of the area in this period.Among the materials recovered during the excavations, some amphorae were found, that allowed to think about the diffusion of

goods in the city during Late Antiquity and High Middle Ages.Some of these amphorae were chosen to be analyzed in order to know their content, and therefore, the goods that they transported.

They were mainly Late Roman 1, two Late Roman 5/6, one Empoli amphora and a probable variant of Late Roman 3.The results of the analyses, carried out at the University of Siena, show that the Empoli amphora and some Late Roman 1 possiblycontained wine, while the two Late Roman 5/6 do not show any trace of content. In the probable variant of Late Roman 3 only solid

pitch residues are present.In general, it seems that many amphorae were re-used, especially those that were found in secondary contexts.

KEYWORDS: LATE ROMAN AMPHORAE, ORGANIC RESIDUES, GC-MS, FLORENCE.

INTRODUCTION

Between 2001 and 2004, excavations were carried out in Via

de Castellani, in the center of Florence under the direction ofthe Soprintendenza per I Beni Archeologici della Toscana . The

Universities of Siena and Florence carried out the study of thematerials recovered during the excavation (Cantini et al. 2007).

The excavation has concerned an area between the south roman

wall and the Arno river, where the first occupation is dated tothe late Antiquity (4th century). Between the 5th and the 7th

century a natural depression of the ground was filled up with thecitys rubbish and alluvial layers. Only few post-holes and a

dyke testify the use of the area in this period.

Many amphorae were found as part of the city rubbish. Amongthem, some were chosen to be analysed for the present work:mainly Late Roman 1, two Late Roman 5/6, one Empoli

amphora and a probable variant ofLate Roman 3.

The presence of LR1, 5/6 and 3 in Florence adds a new spotin the map of their distribution in Italy, and probably testifiesthe supply of the byzantine army in the middle of the 6th

century. In fact, all the historic sources speak about the fightsbetween the Byzantines and the Goths in Florence in 541 AD

(Procopius of Caesarea, Gothic War, I, 237,7 e II,243,4) and in552 AD (Agathias Scholasticus, Histories, I, 8-11).Furthermore, in the Church of Santa Felicita there is an

epigraph dating from 547 a.C. that mentions a byzantine soldier.

The eastern wine supply of Florence has a great competitor inthe local production of wine, carried in the Empoli amphora.

This type of amphora is really abundant in the city until themiddle of the 6thcentury, testifying the vitality of the economy

of the Arno river valley (Cantini, in questo volume).

Eleven amphorae were sampled and analyzed, to obtain data on

the content and therefore verify the storiographic informationon the transportation of goods (Table 1, Fig. 1).

METHODOLOGY

The amphorae walls were sampled using a small drill. The solidresidue in one amphora (possible variant of LR3) was also

sampled, thinking that it could be the remain of the originalcontent. Blank samples were also analyzed to exclude the

presence of contamination.

The samples were analyzed in collaboration between the

Archaeometric Laboratory of the Department of Archaeologyand the CIADS (Centro di Analisi e Determinazioni Strutturali)

of the University of Siena.

The lipids were extracted following the procedure described in

Mottram et al. 1999. Furthermore, 500 mg of the pulverizedsamples were also treated as reported by Salvini et al. 2008,and then analyzed with GC-MS, in order to verify the presence

of tartaric acid, marker of wine.

The GC-MS analyses were performed using a gascromatographer CP3800 (Varian, Walnut Crick, CA, USA)

equipped with a 30 m x 0.25 mm (i.d.) x 0.25 m film thicknessfused silica capillary column (Rtx-5MS, Restek corporation,

Bellefonte, PA, USA), and a mass spectrometer Saturn 2000(Varian, Walnut Crick, CA, USA) operated in the electron

ionization mode (70 eV). The mass range was scanned in therange of m/z 40-650. The GC oven temperature was holdisothermally at 50C for 1 min, then it was raised at 5C/min up

to 300C and hold isothermally for 10 min.

Late Roman 1

The results of the analyses are summerized in Table 2.

Late Roman 1 amphorae are usually thought to have transportedwine. Nevertheless, olive oil and solid contents have also been

proposed for this amphora (Panella 1993; Pacetti 1995; Arthur


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1998). In order to verify these hypotheses, seven LR1 were

analyzed.

Fermentation markers were found in five of the samplesanalyzed and in one of them also tartaric acid was found,

suggesting that wine or fruit was stored in them (Mc Govern2004; Guash Jan et al. 2004; Cappelli and Vannucchi 1994;

Garnier et al. 2003). In one sample also siringic acid wasidentified. Guash Jan et al. (2004) suggest that it could be

related to the presence of red wine, but it also might suggest thestorage of reddish fruit.

In one sample traces of another vegetable oil, possibly olive oil,

were identified (relatively high C18:1, azelaic acid and 9,10 di -hydroxyoctadecanoic acid are present, Dudd et al. 1998),together with the fermentation markers, suggesting a possible

reuse of the amphora.

Although an established agreement on the markers of fish does

not exist, usually it is possible to consider that the presence ofcetyl alcohol, together with C20:0,C20:1, C21:0, C21:1, C22:0, C22:1,

isoprenoid fatty acids and phytanic acid suggest its presence

(Rottlander 1990; Malainey et al. 1999; Hansel et al. 2004;Craig et al. 2007; Evershed et al. 2008). In three of the LR1amphorae analysed cetyl alcol, together with C20:0, C20:1, C21:0,C21:1, C22:0, C22:1were identified, indicating that possibly fish

products were present, although more analyses should beperformed to verify it. If this is true, the concomitance offermentation and possible fish markers may be interpreted as a

reuse of the amphorae, or, alternatively, as the testimony of thepresence of enogarum.

Also a LR1, with no fermentation traces, shows the markers ofpossible fish. These three cases might be due to the fact that the

amphorae were residual and they could be subjected to a reuse,even after they arrived to Florence.

In another amphora there are just traces of the coating and notraces of content, this suggests that it was not preserved, assuggested by Heron and Pollard (1988) when only resin tracesare present, or, more likely, that the amphora was used to keep

solids, or substances that do not leave traces that can beidentified with the analyses performed, as sometimes suggested

in the literature.

All the LR1 analyzed were coated, as they all showed traces ofPinaceae resins, and pitch (just one of them). Dehydroabietic

acid is in fact always present, sometimes together with abieticacid, 7-oxo dehydroabietic acid and in one case with retene andmethyldehydroabietic acid (Mills and White 1987; Colombini etal. 2005).

Empoli Amphora

This local amphora is considered to be a wine transport

amphora (Cambi 1986; Panella 1989, Fig. 2). To verify it justone sample was analysed. Tartaric acid, considered the wine

marker, together with other fermentation products (fumaric,maleic, vanillic, succinic and hydroxybenzoic acids) were

identified, confirming that this amphora was used to transportwine, as proposed in the archaeological literature.

In the sample there are also Pinaceae pitch traces, used to coatthe amphora.

Late Roman5/6

Late Roman 5/6 amphorae are usually thought to havetransported wine (Panella 1993; Pacetti 1995; Arthur 1998;

Bonifay and Pieri 1995; Pacetti 1995; Pieri 1999). The analyses

of the sample of one of the two LR 5/6, show the presence of

some markers of fermentation (benzoic, hydroxybenzoic,fumaric and succinic acids), although tartaric acid is not present.This suggests that wine was degraded, or that fruit was present.

No oil traces were identified, while animal fats are present(possibly fish products).

In the other amphora no organic residues, attributable to theoriginal content, were detected. This suggest that a degradationprocess occurs, or that the amphora was used to transport solid

materials (such as grains) or something that does not leave anyorganic trace. This could correspond to the finding of differentcontents in the amphorae recovered in a residence in Galilea

(Mayers et al. 1981, in Pacetti 1995) and to the hypothesis thatthese amphorae could be multifunctional (Pacetti 1995).Both amphorae were coated with Pinaceaeresin.

Late Roman 3 var.

Late Roman 3 amphorae are thought to have transported wine(Murialdo 2001; Arthur 1998). For this project, the yellowish

deposit in the pointed foot of a possible variant ofLate Roman 3was analyzed. It showed the presence of abundant Pinaceae

resin transformed into pitch (dehydroabietic, abietic andmethyldehyidroabietic acids) and of animal fats.

As the solid residue is very abundant, it might have been thecontent of the amphora. Nevertheless it is also possible that the

amphora had an abundant coating, that was deposited on thebottom. In this case, the coating could be compatible with the

wine content proposed in the literature, that could havedisappeared.

The animal origin fats could have been mixed to the resin tosoften it, as sometimes proposed for cooking vessels of different

periods (Chartres and Evershed 1995), or they could be the

remain of the content of the amphora. No traces of wine or oilwere identified in the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Although just one sample of Empoli amphora was analysed,

the results of the analysis confirmed that it was used totransport wine, as suggested in the literature.

For the Late Roman 1, the results suggest that they also weremostly related to wine transport, as usually thought, rather thanolive oil, although the results could also be related to the

presence of fruit instead of wine.

Together with the fermentation and wine markers, there arethose of possible fish and, in one case, of possible vegetable oil.

These data can be interpreted as reuse traces: in the case of fishproducts, it might also be enogarum, but reuse seems to be a

more convenient hypothesis, also because the amphorae wereresidual (they had moved from where they were first depositedinto a secondary context, as a result of human activity or natural

phenomena). The presence of wine with olive oil is instead amore clear case of reuse.

Probably one LR1 transported grains or something that does notleave any organic trace. This recalls the alternative content

proposed in the literature for these amphorae, although it cannotbe excluded that wine could not be identified because of

degradation. It is important to mention that all of the amphoraewere washed before the sampling, and wine is soluble in water.

Also one of the two LR5/6, as the LR1 mentioned above, does

not show any organic residue. The other LR5/6 shows the


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markers of wine and possible fish. While the second result is in

accordance with the usual hypothesis on the content of theseamphorae (wine), and points out the possibility of a reuse, thefirst one suggests the possibility that they could be

multifunctional amphorae.

The possible LR3-var. only shows pitch and animal fats

residues, possibly mixed together as the content or the coatingof the amphora.

All the amphorae show the traces of Pinaceae resin or pitch.This suggests the widespreading of an organic coating, thatcould have also been functional to the flavour of the content

when it was wine (Heron and Pollard 1988; Beck et al. 1989;Bernal Casasola and Petit Dominguez 1999).

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Fig. 1. The amphorae analyzed.


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Fig. 2. Empoli amphora.

sample Ware Id. type sample US Context136-123 ANF 6 16.14 Empoli Wall 172 Primary127-114 ANF 50 16.84 LR1 Wall 624 Primary134-121 ANF 50 16.83 LR1 Wall 624 Primary133-120 ANF 77 16.79 LR1 Wall 172 Primary135-122 ANF 53 16.82 LR1 Wall 622 Secodary131-118 ANF 35 16.81 LRA1 Wall 564 Secondary132-119 ANF 31 16.80 LR1 Wall 564 Secondary129-116 ANF 62 16.86 LR1 Wall 318 Secondary126-113 ANF 57 16.91 LR5/6 Wall 170 Secondary128-115 ANF 79 16.92 LR5/6 Wall 155 Secondary124-111 ANF 29 16.90 LR3-var? Solid residue on

the bottom

155 Secondary

Table 1. Amphorae sampled.

Id. Type Fermprod

Tartaric

acid

Animal fats Vegetable

Oil

Pinaceae

Resin/pitch16.14 Empoli X X Resin/pitch16.84 LR1 X X Resin/pitch16.83 LR1 Resin

16.79 LR1 X Siringic Resin16.82 LR1 X X Resin16.81 LR1 X X (Fish?) Resin

16.80 LR1 X (Fish?) Resin16.86 LR1 X X (Fish?) Resin16.91 LR5/6 X X (Fish?) Resin16.92 LR5/6 Resin16.90 LR3-var? X Pitch

Table 2. Synthesis of the results of the GC-MS analyses of the samples.


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