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5.2.1 Pompeii's Port

Historical background

During the 1st century AD the Roman Empire had provinces throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, ruled centrally by the Emperor in Rome. The provinces themselves were ruled by Governors and their staff. Governors had a military role in protecting their province from attack, and also enforced the laws of the Empire. The military might of the Roman army dealt with any uprisings quickly and without mercy, and the Empire was reasonably stable.

Due to this period of stability, the economy was able to flourish. Large amounts of goods were traded via routes over land and sea. A great deal of trade happened internally between the provinces, but Roman trade networks also extended beyond the Empire as far as China and India. Some provinces specialised in producing certain types of goods. For example, Egypt and North Africa provided much of the grain for the Roman Empire, whilst Italy (including the area around Pompeii), Hispania and Greece produced good wine and olive oil.

Evidence

There is evidence that trade was flowing through Pompeii's port as far back as the Archaic period (7th to 4th century BC). The port of Pompeii was less than a kilometre from the city centre. Although the town is now inland, it was coastal at the time of the eruption in AD79. The land has changed dramatically due to the volcanic nature of the region. 

Pompeii was very well located for trade. The Bay of Naples had a number of good natural harbours, especially around Misenum. The nearby port of Puteoli was one of the most important in Rome. It was where products from all over Italy and the wider Empire came together for distribution. Naples, Cumae and Puteoli had strong connections with the Greek East, which was very useful to the other towns in the area as trading centres. Pompeii was also the entry point from the wider ocean to the Sarno river valley. It was at the crossroads of the coastal trade routes from Cumae to the Sorrentine Peninsula and the inland route along the river towards Nuceria, Acerrae and Nola.

The port handled both local and foreign goods. These were unloaded from the ships and put on barges to be transported up the river to other towns such as Nuceria, or carried on wagons into Pompeii itself. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that goods were being transported across the Roman world and making their way to Pompeii; for example distinctive red pottery imported from Gaul, and an ivory statue of an Indian goddess (possibly Yakshi) suggests Roman links to India, it was most likely traded through Begram in Afghanistan.

The port and ships were clearly very important to Pompeii and its people. Many graffiti and frescoes of ships have been found in the city, and the patron goddess Venus was believed to have been born from the sea. Sailors prayed to her for protection, and she is often depicted reclining in a seashell, accompanied by water nymphs and dolphins, or even leaning on a rudder (the flat paddle used to steer a boat). 

 

5.2.2 Amarantus's amphorae

Historical background

During the 1st century AD the Roman Empire had provinces throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, ruled centrally by the Emperor in Rome. The provinces themselves were ruled by Governors and their staff. Governors had a military role in protecting their province from attack, and also enforced the laws of the Empire. The military might of the Roman army dealt with any uprisings quickly and without mercy, and the Empire was reasonably stable.

Due to this period of stability, the economy was able to flourish. Large amounts of goods were traded via routes over land and sea. A great deal of trade happened internally between the provinces, but Roman trade networks also extended beyond the Empire as far as China and India. Some provinces specialised in producing certain types of goods. For example, Egypt and North Africa provided much of the grain for the Roman Empire, whilst Italy (including the area around Pompeii), Hispania and Greece produced good wine and olive oil.

Evidence

Amphorae came in all shapes and sizes depending on things such as where they came from and what people kept in them. This means that archaeologists and historians can use the shape of an amphora to make claims about what its contents might have been and its origins.

As has been touched upon in other Topics, many amphorae were recovered from both the bar and House of Amarantus. The ones in the bar were found stacked upside down, so we assume they were empties. In the residential area, the amphorae were discovered the right way up in very neat rows; these were probably being stored until they were needed in the bar.

The amphorae are very useful in helping us to understand the trading networks that the bar tapped into. Amphorae were found containing wine from exotic locations, including several examples from Crete and Cilicia (modern day Turkey), plus the only known example from Gaza so far found in Pompeii. Amarantus's bar was not a large, rich or very grand business, and yet he was clearly able to source wine from overseas. This shows how easily goods moved around the Roman Empire, and we can imagine that exotic products from far-flung places must have been relatively common in Pompeii.