Amphora
Ancient Memory from the Mediterranean
By
George W. Alexander, PhD, MBA
In ancient times inhabitants throughout the Mediterranean and many countries and City-States including the Romans, the Greeks, the Turks and the Phoenicians, etc. traded with one another. Amphora or clay jars were used to transport goods throughout the Mediterranean by these traders. The subject of this article is to examine a particular artifact. It is called an amphora or container and this examination will determine its age and any other information that can be gleaned from it. The container called an amphora [pl. amphorae] is basically a ceramic jar that was used to transport wine, grapes, olives, olive oil, fish, grain and numerous other commodities. Goods were transported over land or by sea using amphorae. Most of the recovered ancient amphorae are from sunken cargo ships and are remarkably intact. The largest amount of amphorae ever recovered were from a shipwreck containing 6,000 amphorae. This wreck was discovered off the coast of Greece at an Ionian Island named Kefalonia in 2013.
Kefalonia, Greece.
The earliest examples of these amphora are from the Neolithic period when Mankind first emerged from the Stone Age. The basic design is characterized by two large handles attached to the neck and body of the jar. The design primarily facilitates transporting wine but it was also used to pour wine at tableside. It was later often used as a smaller decorative feature sitting close to the table with an ornate design painted on it. Later, with some modification one handle was eliminated and the remaining one was used to pour wine. Indeed, there often was an identifying mark of the maker or painter who decorated the vessel or perhaps the names of those depicted on the decorative amphora. The particular amphora to be examined was reputedly retrieved from the bottom of the Mediterranean circa 1970 by Sam Davison. He was a US Marine during World War 2 and spent much time in Guam. There he came across “Japanese goggles” and became fascinated with diving and the underwater world. The author became aware of this amphora and its story through his association with Dave Nolan owner of Atlantic Scuba in Daytona Beach, Florida. Dave Nolan related the story to the author and the history behind it. As a scuba instructor, the author became intrigued and decided to investigate the subject further.
Amphora recovered from the Greek Islands by Sam Davison,
Founder of DACOR dive equipment. The photo on the right is from a 1971 DACOR catalogue.
Sam Davison, President DACOR diving equipment. Note: Amphora.
The amphora’s unique design allowed for it to be stacked and lashed together to avoid breakage during transport, mostly aboard ships. Amphora have been classified as two different types. One is the neck amphora in which the neck and body of the vessel meet at a sharp right angle at the top. The other is a more or less one-piece amphora in which the neck and body form a continuous curve towards the opening at the top. The neck amphora was most commonly used in ancient Greece. It has been dated to as early as 530 BC. As an aside, it was purported that the Greeks would give an amphora as a trophy for winning an athletic contest or event. It was known as the Panathenaic Prize Amphora. It usually contained sacred oil and was painted black with figures engaged in running or wrestling on one side and the goddess Athena on the other side. It was a prize that honored the goddess Athena and was believed to be a gift from her. If you look at the design of an amphora and its handles in particular it is easy to see where the idea for the modern trophy came from.
Panathenaic prize amphora for runners; c. 530 BC;
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
Modern scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving equipment developed over a long period of time. But Jacques Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnon were the first to develop a demand regulator in 1942 using an open-circuit system later called the Aqua-Lung. An additional development was a buoyancy life jacket sometimes known as a Mae West or Horse Collar, which ultimately evolved into a BCD (Buoyancy Compensation Device). The early intrepid divers plunged into the depths without modern scuba equipment and little or no knowledge of the effects of pressure on the human body or the effects of breathing compressed air at depth. Further, the reliability of the equipment they were using was often questionable.
The amphora pictured above [held by the author] was reputedly retrieved
from the Greek Islands in the Mediterranean by Sam Davison, circa 1970.
In essence, the reputed retrieval of this particular amphora by Sam Davison using the newly introduced DACOR scuba equipment in the 1970s makes this particular amphora a part of scuba diving history. It is not just another amphora. The reasoning here is that at this time the use of modern scuba diving equipment was in its infancy. The retrieval of this amphora by Davison using the new [DACOR] scuba diving equipment was an early pioneering event in scuba diving history.
Amphora lashed together to prevent breakage.
Retrieved from a Bronze Age ship wreck.
Museum of Underwater Archaeology at Bodrum, Turkey.
Conclusion:
Amphora were initially classified by the German scholar Heinrich Dressel in the 1800s. His classification table is still in use today. He noted that amphora were often marked or labeled using stamps (sgraffito) or inscriptions. The inscriptions often referred to the maker or workshop where the amphora was produced. The inscriptions or stamps are used by historians today to track ancient trade routes revealing an understanding of the flow of commodities or goods along these ancient trade routes. It is important to note that amphorae were cheap to manufacture and therefore were not returned to their original point of origin. So, when they were used up at their final destination they were broken up and discarded. There is a large site on the Tiber River near Rome where discarded amphorae comprise a 148 foot-high hill.
After examining the amphora found by Davison, its appearance indicates it is obviously an example of the classical shell-encrusted Greco-Roman style amphorae and fits the Dressel 1-2 classification. The encrusted shells are an indication of the age of the amphora. No doubt it would have to be underwater for many years to have that many shells encrusted on it. Also, it is obvious someone has scraped away some of the encrusted material to expose the embedded decorative shell on it. Further, production dates for this type of amphora date from as early as 530 BC to as late as 700 AD. After 700 AD amphora were replaced with other materials; namely wooden barrels.
Amphora being brought to the surface.
It is safe to assume Davison’s amphora find is between 2,000 and 2,500 years old. Unfortunately, pottery cannot be dated using the radio-carbon method unless there is some organic material present in the clay used to manufacture it or a residue left inside the amphora. In this case there is none. Additionally, the size and design indicate its Hellenistic or Greek origins. However, it could be Roman as well. The first Roman style amphorae begin to appear in central Italy around the 2nd century BC. They were characterized by thick walls, were very heavy and strong and were reddish in color. These traits are indicative of the amphora, under investigation. The Dressel 2-4 classification doesn’t emerge until the middle of the first century BC. Therefore, the subject amphora under investigation, can be dated using this criteria to the 2nd century BC or earlier.
Note: Wall thickness of the subject amphora, characteristic of Roman manufacture.
Unique shell design embedded in the subject amphora.
Conclusion:
The 1971 DACOR catalogue states, “Discovering Ancient Greek Treasure. These photos were taken on a DACOR diving expedition to Greece and the Greek Islands… This is the kind of excitement that you can experience when you dive DACOR.” This tag line is certainly clever marketing. It implies if you use DACOR scuba equipment you will find treasure. Further, as an advertising device it implies when using other dive equipment you only look for treasure but with DACOR scuba equipment you will find treasure! This ad in the DACOR catalogue is the only way the author was able to document the claim that the subject amphora was retrieved from the Mediterranean by DACOR and the time frame in which it was found. The catalogue is dated 1971 so it is safe to assume the expedition and the amphora find occurred in 1970 or earlier.
What is puzzling as of this writing, is the significance of the shell embedded in the amphora. The shell on this amphora could be a manufacturer’s logo, it could be the supplier’s mark or just a decorative element. Indeed, this makes this amphora even more unique as it was clearly used for shipping goods due to its size and design and not intended to be used as decorative tableware. Suffice it to say, this amphora regardless of its historic and antique value, is an iconic artifact in scuba diving history. Indeed, it marks the beginning and the early use of scuba diving equipment in Marine archaeology.
References:
DACOR catalogue, 1971.
https://vinepair.com/booze-news/roman-wine-amphorae-shipwreck/
https://vinepair.com/booze-news/massive-roman-shipwreck-amphorae/
https://www.visitcaymanislands.com/en-us/isdhf/isdhf-bios/sam-davison
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphora
For more info on scuba diving/certification and scuba equipment contact:
George Alexander, Instructor Trainer
Tactical Scuba Instructor
Palm Coast, Florida 518-567-7382
