Aquileia porto fluviale - sponda orientale: nuovi dati e riflessioni sui depositi di anfore da allume

The paper illustrates a ceramic assemblage recently excavated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice on the eastern riverbank of the river port of Aquileia. The deposit has been interpreted as a level of debris connected with the demolition of an artisanal installation, currently under excavation, consisting of at least one tank, lined with wood and connected to a system of water channels. The deposit consists of ca. 3750 fragmentary amphorae, originally transporting the alum extracted in Lipari and Melos (now Milos). The majority of the amphorae was produced in the Lipari Islands and can be classified as Lipari morphological types 1a and 2a-b. In addition, a number of fragmentary containers produced in the Aegean island of Milos, are also present in the examined context (variant 1 and 2), in the ratio of 9:1. So far, less than a couple of dozens of alum amphorae were known from Aquileia: therefore, the new data from Aquileia allow us to fill an anomalous gap in current distribution maps and, in addition, contribute to stimulate reflexion and discussion on aspects of production, trade and use of alum in the Roman period.