Roman Trade Networks

Beyond military strategy. Roman trade and the early colonization of Cisalpine Gaul

by Thea Ravasi

In preparation. To be submitted to the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology.

Alcune considerazioni sulla presenza commerciale romano-italica nella penisola iberica prima della seconda guerra punica

by Jordi Principal

L'Africa romana XIV (Sassari 2000), Roma, 2002, 653-664
Co-authored with F. Cibecchini

Staying Roman- Becoming Greek Working paper

by Onno van Nijf

This paper is a draft of an article on the role of Roman settlers in the Greek cities of the Roman empire. It is an... more This paper is a draft of an article on the role of Roman settlers in the Greek cities of the Roman empire. It is an attempt to understand how Roman settlers were integrated into the social and political structures of the Greek cities, while retaining an essential Roman identity. I have presented versions of this paper in Brussels, London, Vienna and Athens. I shall present a new version with a different subtitle in Goettingen on 25 Jan.and I shall post that shortly
Comments are welcome

Relaciones económicas Roma-Hispania: la Hispania Citerior en el siglo II a.C.

by Jordi Principal

in F. Burillo (ed.), Segeda y su contexto histórico: Entre Catón y Nobilior (195 al 153 a.C.), Mara, 2006, 117-140.
Co-authored with D. Asensio

Roman ports and Mediterranean connectivity

by Candace Rice

with Wilson, A. and Schörle, K.

in press, 2012 in S. Keay (ed) Rome, Portus and the Mediterranean. Archaeological Monographs of the British School at Rome.

The rise and reorganization of the Pompeian salted fish industry

by Steven Ellis

in The Making of Pompeii: Studies in the history and urban development of an ancient town (Edited by Steven J.R. Ellis, JRA suppl. 85, 2011) 59-88.

Una tierra de emigrantes

by Joaquín L. Gómez-Pantoja

Published in  M. Navarro Caballero y J. J. Palao Vicente (eds.), Villes et territoires dans le basin du Douro à l›époque romaine, Bordeaux, 2007 [ISBN 9782910023850], pp. 341-353.

Introduction: Maritime archaeology and the ancient economy

by Andrew Wilson

Robinson, D. and Wilson, A. I. (2011) “Introduction: Maritime archaeology and the ancient economy”. In D. Robinson and A. Wilson (eds), Maritime Archaeology and Ancient Trade in the Mediterranean. Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, Oxford: 1-10.

Le vie delle anfore. Il commercio di derrate alimentari a Cremona dal II secolo a.C. attraverso la testimonianza dei recipienti anforari dello scavo di Piazza Marconi

by Thea Ravasi

Co-authored with Volontè M., and Nicodemo M. Published in Baioni M., Fredella C. (eds.), 'Archaeotrade. Antichi commerci nella Lombardia Orientale', Milano 2008: 285-303.

The paper provides a first investigation on the Roman amphorae found during the excavation of the area of Piazza... more The paper provides a first investigation on the Roman amphorae found during the excavation of the area of Piazza Marconi, at Cremona, Northern Italy (C2 BC-4AD)

Early Examples of So-Called Pitched Brick Barrel Vaulting in Roman Greece and Asia Minor: A Question of Origin and Intention

by Lynne Lancaster

In M. Bachmann (ed.), Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien (Proceedings of an International Conference June 13-16, 2007) Byzas 9 (2009): 371-391

I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia... more I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia Minor. I make the distinction between bricks set vertically and those that are truly pitched because the distinction can shed light on both the use and origin of the technique in the Roman world. Particular attention is given to the earliest and largest example known, Bath A at Argos, Greece, and then examples from 2nd – 3rd-century Asia Minor are presented. I argue that the large spanned examples were intended not to reduce the amount of wood used for centering as commonly assumed but rather as a means of reinforcing the crown of the vaults by making them less susceptible to cracking. I suggest that the inspiration for the Roman use of the technique comes directly from Mesopotamia, as opposed to Egypt, through contact via military interventions against the Parthians and Sassanids in the 1st – 3rd centuries AD.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Turkey and Tunisia

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra, and G. Ventura. Published in Archaeometry 52.6 (2010) 949-961; doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2009.00509.x

Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage,... more Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage, Leptiminus) and Turkey (Anazarbos, Elaeussa Sebaste) were analyzed by means of thin section, XRF, and LA-ICP-MS to determine their provenances. Both samples from Turkey came from the Ceyhan-Osmaniye volcanic district in Smooth Cilicia. The use of the scoria at Elaeussa Sebaste, which is outside this volcanic district, was likely the result of cabotage along the southern coast of Asia Minor. Of the Tunisian samples, the one from Carthage is a product of Sardinia whereas the one from Leptiminus is a product of Pantelleria. Both samples from Tunisia came from nearby volcanic islands that also produced lava grain mills, many of which were destined for North Africa; therefore the lightweight scoria and pumice in Tunisia likely arrived at the building sites as secondary cargos on established regional trade routes.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Rome

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra and G. Ventura. "Provenancing of lightweight volcanic stones used in ancient Roman concrete vaulting: evidence from Rome" Archaeometry (2011); doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00565.x

This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient... more This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient Rome. The geochemical signatures of dark scoria indicates a provenance of the 36–18 ka lavas of Vesuvius, as opposed to the more recent events on which Pompeii was built, as previously thought. The light-coloured pumices analysed, which were originally thought to belong to the Sabatini volcanic system (north of Rome), corresponded instead to products from Campi Flegrei. These results provoke re-evaluation of the trade and acquisition of these specialized materials destined for imperial projects in the capital city.

Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa

by Lynne Lancaster

"Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa" In : S. Camporeale, H. Dessales, and A. Pizzo (eds.), Les chantiers de construction de l’Italie et des provinces romaines: 3e rencontre. L’économie des chantiers (Paris, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 10-11 décembre 2009) (FORTHCOMING).

In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected... more In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected choices in the building industry in North Africa. The first is the use of ash from cereals and herbivore manure as a pozzolanic additive for creating a hydraulic mortar. Recent experimental studies have shown that ash from wheat straw and herbivore manure, which are high in silica, produce a pozzolanic reaction when mixed with lime mortar. The mortar of linings in cisterns in North Africa often contain ash, and I suggest that wheat and manure are the likely sources of this ash. The second technique is the use of terracotta vaulting tubes, the proliferation of which began in the area of modern Tunisia during the 3rd century A.D. I suggest that this phenomenon can be related to imperial agricultural policy during the 2nd century A.D., which promoted more intensive and widespread cultivation in Africa Proconsularis and with it a certain amount of deforestation. Increased exportation of agricultural products led to improved land transport networks in the interior and to the necessity for production of large numbers of terracotta amphoras for shipping liquid foodstuffs. With the concomitant growth of the ceramics industry, the vaulting tubes became an economically viable alternative to the more traditional wooden centering, which the tubes replaced. Thus the proliferation of the vaulting tubes is simply one of the many phenomena resulting from North Africa's rise as one of the major agricultural producers during the 2nd century.