Archaeometric characterisation of amphorae from the Late Antique city of Iluro (Mataró, Spain)

Abstract

A large number of transport amphorae coming from various Late Antique archaeological contexts in Mataró (Catalonia, Spain) have been analysed, in order to characterise the materials, investigate the diversity of fabrics and shed light on their provenance. A total of 96 individuals were subjected to petrographic (OM), chemical (XRF) and mineralogical (XRD) analysis. The results prove that the majority of the amphorae are related to a northern African provenance (Tunisian mainly), with several different fabrics that, in some cases, can be associated with specific production centres. Also a large number of southern Hispanic fabrics, in particular from the Baetican area, have been identified. In addition, some eastern Mediterranean and Balearic fabrics have been characterised, as well as a few fabrics for which a local/regional production can be proposed. The results indicate the presence of many different chemical-petrographic compositions from each of these regions and provide, thus, an insight into the variety of transport amphorae that arrived to the Late Antique urban centre of Iluro.