View source for Amphora

{{Short description|Type of storage container}}
{{About|the type of vase|other uses|Amphora (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox artifact
| name          = Amphora
| image         = [[File:Amphorae stacking.jpg|250px]]
| image2        = [[File:Anforagrega-atenas.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption = ''Amphora'' designed for marine transport, taken from [[shipwrecks]] of the [[Bronze Age]], on display in the Museum of Underwater Archaeology at [[Bodrum Castle]], [[Turkey]]. The museum archaeologists have devised a rack and roping device to illustrate how the cargo might have been kept from shifting.
| image2_caption= [[Panathenaic amphora|Panathenaic prize amphora]] in the [[black-figure]] style, showing the goddess [[Athena]]
| material      = Ceramic, a small minority in metal, rare instances in stone or glass
| size          = Small-volume container varying from table-top size to half the height of a human, able to be carried by one or more people.
| writing       = Sometimes inscribed with an identifying mark, or, in the case of painted ware, the signature of the potter or artist and the names of the characters depicted in the scene.
| created       = [[Neolithic]], [[Bronze Age]], [[Iron Age]], [[Middle Ages]]
| discovered    = The shards are ubiquitous in any type of archaeological context. The vessels were used primarily to carry wine, which was drunk by all known peoples over Eurasia{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} from at least the Neolithic.
| location      = Circum-Mediterranean, Black Sea, Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
| id            =
}}
{{Special characters}}
[[File:Amphora-rhyton 17.2.jpg|thumb|Silver amphora-rhyton with zoomorphic handles, {{circa|500 BC}}, [[Vassil Bojkov Collection]] ([[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]])]]

An '''amphora''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|m|f|ər|ə}}; {{langx|grc|{{wikt-lang|grc|ἀμφορεύς}}|{{grc-transl|ἀμφορεύς}}}}; English {{plural form|'''amphorae''' or '''amphoras'''}}) is a type of container<ref>{{Citation
 | last =Twede
 | first =D.
 | title =Commercial Amphoras: The Earliest Consumer Packages?
 | journal =Journal of Macromarketing
 | volume =22
 | issue =1
 | pages =98–108
 | year =2002
 | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247738955
| access-date =19 June 2019
| doi =10.1177/027467022001009
 | s2cid =154514559
 }}</ref> with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land or sea. The size and shape have been determined from at least as early as the [[Neolithic]] Period. Amphorae were used in vast numbers for the transport and storage of various products, both liquid and dry, but mostly for wine. They are most often [[ceramic]], but examples in metals and other materials have been found. Versions of the amphorae were one of many shapes used in [[Ancient Greek vase painting]].

The amphora complements a vase, the [[pithos]], which makes available capacities between one-half and two and one-half tons. In contrast, the amphora holds under a half-ton, typically less than {{convert|50|kg}}. The bodies of the two types have similar shapes. Where the pithos may have multiple small loops or lugs for fastening a rope harness, the amphora has two expansive [[package handle|handles]] joining the shoulder of the body and a long neck. The necks of pithoi are wide for scooping or bucket access. The necks of amphorae are narrow for pouring by a person holding it by the bottom and a handle. Some variants exist. The handles might not be present. The size may require two or three handlers to lift. For the most part, however, an amphora was tableware, or sat close to the table, was intended to be seen, and was finely decorated as such by master painters.{{clarify|Contradicted by text stating that they were used in vast numbers for transport and storage|date=June 2024}}

Stoppers of perishable materials, which have rarely survived, were used to seal the contents. Two principal types of amphorae existed: the ''neck amphora'', in which the neck and body meet at a sharp angle; and the ''one-piece amphora'', in which the neck and body form a continuous curve upwards. Neck amphorae were commonly used in the early history of ancient Greece, but were gradually replaced by the one-piece type from around the 7th century BC onward.

Most were produced with a pointed base to allow upright storage by embedding in soft ground, such as sand. The base facilitated transport by ship, where the amphorae were packed upright or on their sides in as many as five staggered layers.{{Citation needed|reason=Original citation does not even mention pointed bottoms|date=September 2025}}. If upright, the bases probably were held by some sort of rack, and ropes passed through their handles to prevent shifting or toppling during rough seas{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}. Heather and reeds might be used as packing around the vases. Racks could be used in kitchens and shops. The base also concentrated deposits from liquids with suspended solid particles, such as olive oil and wines.

Amphorae are of great use to [[Maritime archaeology|maritime archaeologists]], as they often indicate the age of a [[shipwreck]] and the geographic origin of the cargo. They are occasionally so well preserved that the original content is still present, providing information on foodstuffs and mercantile systems. Amphorae were too cheap and plentiful to return to their origin-point and so, when empty, they were broken up at their destination. At a breakage site in Rome, [[Testaccio]], close to the [[Tiber]], the fragments, later wetted with [[calcium hydroxide]] (calce viva), remained to create a hill now named [[Monte Testaccio]], {{convert|45|m|ft|abbr=on}} high and more than 1&nbsp;kilometre in circumference.

==Etymology==
Amphora is a Greco-Roman word developed in [[ancient Greek]] during the [[Bronze Age]]. The Romans acquired it during the Hellenization that occurred in the [[Roman Republic]]. [[Cato the Younger|Cato]] is the first known literary person to use it. The Romans turned the Greek form into a standard - a declension noun, ''amphora'', pl. ''amphorae''.<ref name=lewis>{{L&S|amphora|ref}}</ref> The word and the vase were almost certainly introduced to Italy through the Greek settlements there, which traded extensively in Greek pottery.

Even though the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]] imported, manufactured, and exported amphorae extensively in their wine industry, and other Greek vase names were Etruscanized, no Etruscan form of the word exists. There was perhaps an as yet unidentified native Etruscan word for the vase that pre-empted the adoption of ''amphora''.

The Latin word derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''amphoreus'' ({{lang|grc|ἀμφορεύς}}),<ref>{{LSJ|a)mforeu/s|ἀμφορεύς|ref}}.</ref> a shortened form of ''amphiphoreus'' ({{lang|grc|ἀμφιφορεύς}}), a compound word combining ''amphi-'' ("on both sides", "twain")<ref>{{LSJ|a)mfi/|ἀμφί|shortref}}.</ref> and ''phoreus'' ("carrier"), from ''pherein'' ("to carry"),<ref>{{LSJ|foreu/s|φορεύς}}, {{LSJ|fe/rw|φέρειν|shortref}}.</ref> referring to the vessel's two carrying handles on opposite sides.<ref>{{cite book | last=Göransson | first=Kristian | title=The transport amphorae from Euesperides: The maritime trade of a Cyrenaican city 400-250 BC | series=Acta Archaeologica Lundensia, Series in 4o No. 25 | publisher=Lund | location=Stockholm | year=2007 | page=9}}</ref> The amphora appears as {{lang|gmy|𐀀𐀠𐀡𐀩𐀸}}, ''a-pi-po-re-we'', in the [[Linear B]] Bronze Age records of [[Knossos]], {{lang|gmy|𐀀𐀡𐀩𐀸}}, ''a-po-re-we'', at Mycenae, and the fragmentary '']-re-we'' at Pylos, designated by {{nowrap|Ideogram 209}} {{lang|gmy|𐃨}}, [[Emmett L. Bennett Jr.|Bennett's]] AMPHORA, which has a number of scribal variants. The two spellings are transcriptions of amphiphorēwes (plural) and amphorēwe (dual) in Mycenaean Greek from which it may be seen that the short form prevailed on the mainland. [[Homer]] uses the long form for metrical reasons, and [[Herodotus]] has the short form. Ventris and Chadwick's translation is "carried on both sides."<ref>{{cite book | first1=Michael | last1=Ventris | first2=John | last2=Chadwick | title=Documents in Mycenaean Greek | location=Cambridge | publisher=University Press | year=1973 | edition=2nd | pages=324, 328, 494, 532}}</ref>

==Weights and measures==
{{Main|Amphora (unit)}}
[[File:Amphora Dressel 1B.svg|thumb|right|upright|Dressel 1B type amphora<br/>''Key :'' 1: rim; 2: neck; 3: handle; 4: shoulder;{{break}}5: belly ''or'' body; 6: foot]]

Amphorae varied greatly in height. The largest stands as tall as {{convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, while some were less than {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=off}} high - the smallest were called amphoriskoi  (literally "little amphorae"). Most were around {{convert|45|cm|in|abbr=off}} high.

There was a significant degree of standardisation in some variants; the wine amphora held a standard measure of about 39 litres (41 US qt), giving rise to the amphora quadrantal as a unit of measure in the Roman Empire. In all, approximately 66 distinct types of amphora have been identified.

Further, the term also stands for an ancient [[Ancient Roman units of measurement|Roman unit of measurement]] for liquids. The volume of a Roman amphora ({{lang|la|amphora quadrantal}}) was about one cubic {{lang|la|[[Pes (unit)|pes]]}} (foot), equivalent to {{convert|26.2|liter|impgal USgal}}.<ref name=smith>Smith, Sir William; Charles Anthon (1851) [https://books.google.com/books?id=uUPhhcdSACQC ''A new classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography, mythology, and geography partly based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology''] New York: Harper & Bros. Tables, pp. 1024–1030</ref>

==Production==
Roman amphorae were [[Potter's wheel|wheel-thrown]] [[terracotta]] containers. During the production process the body was made first and then left to dry partially.<ref name="Peacock, Williams 1986, 45">{{cite book | title=Amphorae and the Roman economy: an introductory guide | first1=D. P. S. | last1=Peacock | first2=D. F. | last2=Williams | location=London; New York | publisher=Longman | year=1986 | series=Longman archaeology series |page=45}}</ref> Then coils of clay were added to form the neck, the rim, and the handles.<ref name="Peacock, Williams 1986, 45"/> Once the amphora was complete, the maker then treated the interior with resin that would prevent permeation of stored liquids.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chassouant |first1=Louise |last2=Celant |first2=Alessandra |last3=Delpino |first3=Chiara |last4=Rita |first4=Federico Di |last5=Vieillescazes |first5=Cathy |last6=Mathe |first6=Carole |last7=Magri |first7=Donatella |date=2022-06-29 |title=Archaeobotanical and chemical investigations on wine amphorae from San Felice Circeo (Italy) shed light on grape beverages at the Roman time |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=17 |issue=6 |article-number=e0267129 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0267129 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=9242518 |pmid=35767534|bibcode=2022PLoSO..1767129C }}</ref> The reconstruction of these stages of production is based primarily on the study of modern amphora production in some areas of the eastern Mediterranean.<ref name="Peacock, Williams 1986, 45"/>

Amphorae often were marked with a variety of stamps, [[sgraffito]], and inscriptions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Ancient Greek Economy: Markets, Households and City-States|date=2015|others=Edward Monroe Harris, David M. Lewis, Mark Woolmer|isbn=978-1-139-56553-0|location=Cambridge|oclc=941031010}}</ref> They provided information on the production, content, and subsequent marketing. A stamp usually was applied to the amphora at a partially dry stage. It indicates the name of the ''figlina'' (workshop) and/or the name of the owner of the workshop. Painted stamps, ''[[tituli picti]]'', recorded the weight of the container and the contents, and were applied after the amphora was filled. Today, stamps are used to allow historians to track the flow of trade goods and recreate ancient trade networks.<ref name=":0" />

==Classification==
The first systematic classification of Roman amphorae types was undertaken by the German scholar [[Heinrich Dressel]]. Following the exceptional amphora deposit uncovered in Rome in Castro Pretorio at the end of the 1800s, he collected almost 200 inscriptions from amphorae and included them in the ''[[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum]]''. In his studies of the amphora deposit he was the first to elaborate a classification of types, the so-called "Dressel table",<ref>Dressel 1879, Di un grande deposito di anfore rinvenuto nel nuovo quartiere del Castro Pretorio, in BullCom, VII, 36–112, 143–196.</ref> which still is used today for many types.

Subsequent studies on Roman amphorae have produced more detailed classifications, which usually are named after the scholar who studied them. For the neo-Phoenician types see the work by Maña published in 1951,<ref>Maña, Sobre tipologia de ánforas pùnicas, in ''VI Congreso Arqueologico del Sudeste Español'', Alcoy, 1950, Cartagena, 1951, 203–210</ref> and the revised classification by Van der Werff in 1977–1978.<ref>Amphores de tradition punique à Uzita, in BaBesch 52-53, 171-200</ref> The Gallic amphorae have been studied by Laubenheimer in a study published in 1989,<ref>Laubenheimer, Les amphores gauloises sous l'empire: recherches nouvelles sur leur production et chronologie, in ''Amphores romaines et histoire économiqué: dis ans de recherche''. Actes du Colloque de Sienne (22-24 mai 1986), Rome, 105-138</ref> whereas the Cretan amphorae have been analyzed by Marangou-Lerat.<ref>Marangou-Lerat, Le vin et les amphores de Crète de l'epoque classique à l'epoque impériale, in ''Etudes Cretoises'', 30, Paris, 1995</ref> Beltràn studied the Spanish types in 1970.<ref>Beltràn, ''Las anforas Romanas en Espana'', Zaragoza</ref> Adriatic types have been studied by Lamboglia in 1955.<ref>"Sulla cronologia delle anfore romane di età repubblicana" in ''Rivista Studi Liguri 21'', 252–60</ref> For a general analysis of the Western Mediterranean types see Panella,{{sfn|Panella|2001|pp=177–275|ps=: <q>Le anfore di età imperiale del Mediterraneo occidentale</q>, in ''Céramiques hellénistiques et romaines III''}} and Peacock and Williams.<ref name="Peacock, Williams 1986, 45"/>

==History==
===Prehistoric origins===
[[File:Banpo amphora.jpg|thumb|right|Amphora found in [[Banpo]] (China), made by the [[Yangshao culture]]; 5000–3000 BC; [[Guimet Museum]] (Paris)]] 
Ceramics of shapes and uses falling within the range of amphorae, with or without handles, are of prehistoric heritage across Eurasia, from the Caucasus to China. Amphorae dated to approximately 4800 BC have been found in [[Banpo]], a [[Neolithic]] site of the [[Yangshao culture]] in [[China]]. Amphorae first appeared on the [[Phoenicia]]n coast at approximately 3500 BC.

In the Bronze and Iron Ages amphorae spread around the ancient [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]] world, being used by the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] as the principal means for transporting and storing [[grape]]s, [[olive oil]], [[wine]], [[Vegetable oil|oil]], [[olive]]s, [[cereal|grain]], [[fish]], and other agricultural products.<ref name=Adkins196>{{cite book | last1=Adkins | first1=L. | last2=Adkins | first2=R. A. | year=1994 | title=Handbook to life in Ancient Rome | url=https://archive.org/details/handbooktolifein00adki_0 | url-access=registration | location=New York, N.Y. | publisher=Facts on File |page=[https://archive.org/details/handbooktolifein00adki_0/page/196 196]| isbn=978-0-8160-2755-2 }}</ref> They were produced on an industrial scale until approximately the 7th century AD. [[Barrel|Wooden]] and skin containers seem to have supplanted amphorae thereafter.

They influenced [[Chinese ceramics]] and other East Asian ceramic cultures, especially as a fancy shape for high-quality decorative ceramics, and continued to be produced there long after they had ceased to be used further west.

===Ancient Greece: fancy shapes for painting===
{{Further|Ancient Greek vase painting|Pottery of ancient Greece}}
[[File:Amphora Athens Louvre A512.jpg|thumb|upright|Large late Geometric Attic amphora; 725–700 BC; [[Louvre]] (Paris, France)]]

Besides coarse amphorae used for storage and transport, the vast majority, high-quality painted amphorae were produced in Ancient Greece in significant numbers for a variety of social and ceremonial purposes. Their design differs vastly from the more functional versions; they are typified by wide mouth and a ring base, with a glazed surface and decorated with figures or geometric shapes. They normally have a firm base on which they can stand. [[Panathenaic amphora]]e were used as prizes in the [[Panathenaic Festival]]s held between the 6th century BC to the 2nd century BC, filled with olive oil from a sacred grove. Surviving examples bear the inscription "I am one of the prizes from Athens", and usually depict the particular event they were awarded for.

Painted amphorae were also used for funerary purposes, often in special types such as the ''[[loutrophoros]]''. Especially in earlier periods, outsize vases were used as grave markers, while some amphorae were used as containers for the ashes of the dead. By the Roman period vase-painting had largely died out, and utilitarian amphorae were normally the only type produced.

====Greek amphora types====
Various different types of amphorae were popular at different times:

=====Neck amphora (c. 6th–5th century BC)=====
On a neck amphora, the handles are attached to the neck, which is separated from the belly by an angular carination. There are two main types of neck amphorae:
* the [[Nolan amphora]] (late 5th century BC), named for its type site, [[Nola]] near [[Naples]], and
* the [[Tyrrhenian amphorae|Tyrrhenian amphora]].
There are also some rarer special types of neck amphora, distinguished by specific features, for example:
* the [[Pointed amphora]], with a notably pointed toe, sometimes ending in a knob-like protrusion
* the ''[[Loutrophoros]]'', used for storing water during ritual ceremonies, such as marriages and funerals.

=====Belly amphora (c. 640–450 BC)=====
In contrast to the neck amphora, a belly amphora does not have a distinguished neck; instead, the belly reaches the mouth in a continuous curve. After the mid-5th century BC, this type was rarely produced. The ''[[pelike]]'' is a special type of belly amphora, with the belly placed lower, so that the widest point of the vessel is near its bottom. The ''pelike'' was introduced around the end of the 6th century BC.

=====Panathenaic prize amphora=====
Another special type is the [[Panathenaic amphora|Panathenaic prize amphora]], with [[black-figure vase painting|black-figure]] decoration, produced exclusively as prize vessels for the [[Panathenaia]] and retaining the black-figure technique for centuries after the introduction of [[red-figure vase painting]]. Some examples bear the inscription "ΤΩΝ ΑΘΗΝΗΘΕΝ ΑΘΛΩΝ" meaning "[I am one] of the prizes from [the goddess] Athena". They contained the prize of oil from the sacred olive tree of the goddess [[Athena]] for the winners of the athletic contests held to honour the goddess, and were evidently kept thereafter, and perhaps used to store wine, before being buried with the prize-winner. They depicted goddess Athena on one side (as seen on the second image on this page) and the athletic event on the other side, e.g. a scene of wrestling or running contest etc.

<gallery widths="145px" heights="200px">
File:Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora MET GR147.jpg|[[Panathenaic amphora|Panathenaic prize amphora]] for runners; {{Circa|530 BC}}; terracotta; height: 62.2&nbsp;cm (24{{fraction|1|2}} in.); [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)
File:Hellenistic Glasamphora from Olbia Antikensammlung Berlin 3.jpg|Greek amphora; 2nd half of the 2nd century BC; glass; from [[Olbia]] ([[Corsica and Sardinia|Roman-era Sardinia]]); [[Altes Museum]] (Berlin)
</gallery>

===Ancient Rome===
[[File:Roman Holy Land 1st-3rd century AD lead pilgrim's votive amphora "Ampulla".jpg|thumb|right|Miniature Roman Holy Land 1st–3rd century AD lead pilgrim's votive amphora "Ampulla"]]

By the Roman period utilitarian amphorae were normally the only type produced.

The first type of Roman amphora, Dressel 1, appears in central Italy in the late 2nd century BC.{{sfn|Panella|2001|p=177}} This type had thick walls and a characteristic red fabric. It was very heavy, although also strong. Around the middle of the 1st century BC the so-called Dressel 2-4 starts to become widely used.{{sfn|Panella|2001|p=194}} This type of amphora presented some advantages in being lighter and with thinner walls. It has been calculated that while a ship could accommodate approximately 4500 Dressel 1, it was possible to fit 6000 Dressel 2–4 in the same space.{{sfn|Bruno|2005|p=369}} Dressel 2-4 were often produced in the same workshops used for the production of Dressel 1 which quickly ceased to be used.{{sfn|Panella|2001|p=194}}

At the same time in [[Cuma (Italy)|Cuma]] (southern Italy) the production of the ''cadii cumani'' type starts (Dressel 21–22). These containers were mainly used for the transportation of fruit and were used until the middle imperial times. At the same time, in central Italy, the so-called [[Spello]] amphorae, small containers, were produced for the transportation of wine. On the Adriatic coast the older types were replaced by the Lamboglia 2 type, a wine amphora commonly produced between the end of the 2nd and the 1st century BC. This type develops later into the Dressel 6A which becomes dominant during Augustan times.{{sfn|Bruno|2005|p=369}}

In the Gallic provinces the first examples of Roman amphorae were local imitations of pre-existent types such as Dressel 1, Dressel 2–4, Pascual 1, and Haltern 70. The more typical Gallic production begins within the ceramic ateliers in [[Marseille]] during late Augustan times. The type Oberaden 74 was produced to such an extent that it influenced the production of some Italic types.{{sfn|Panella|2001|p=194}} Spanish amphorae became particularly popular thanks to a flourishing production phase in late Republican times. The ''[[Hispania Baetica]]'' and ''[[Hispania Tarraconensis]]'' regions (south-western and eastern Spain) were the main production areas between the 2nd and the 1st century BC due to the distribution of land to military veterans and the founding of new colonies. Spanish amphorae were widespread in the Mediterranean area during early imperial times. The most common types were all produced in Baetica and among these there were the Dressel 20, a typical olive oil container, the Dressel 7–13, for [[garum]] (fish sauce), and the Haltern 70, for [[defrutum]] (fruit sauce). In the Tarraconensis region the Pascual 1 was the most common type, a wine amphora shaped on the Dressel 1, and imitations of Dressel 2–4.

North-African production was based on an ancient tradition which may be traced back to the [[Phoenicia]]n colony of [[Carthage]].{{sfn|Panella|2001|p=207}} Phoenician amphorae had characteristic small handles attached directly onto the upper body. This feature becomes the distinctive mark of late-Republican/early imperial productions, which are then called neo-Phoenician. The types produced in [[Tripolitania]] and Northern Tunisia are the Maña C1 and C2, later renamed Van der Werff 1, 2, and 3.<ref>Van der Werff 1977-78.</ref> In the Aegean area the types from the island of [[Rhodes]] were quite popular starting from the 3rd century BC due to local wine production which flourished over a long period. These types developed into the ''Camulodunum'' 184, an amphora used for the transportation of Rhodian wine all over the empire. Imitations of the Dressel 2-4 were produced on the island of Cos for the transportation of wine from the 4th century BC until middle imperial times.{{sfn|Bruno|2005|p=374}} Cretan containers also were popular for the transportation of wine and can be found around the Mediterranean from Augustan times until the 3rd century AD.{{sfn|Bruno|2005|p=375}} During the late empire period, north-African types dominated amphora production. The so-called African I and II types were widely used from the 2nd until the late 4th century AD. Other types from the eastern Mediterranean (Gaza), such as the so-called Late Roman 4, became very popular between the 4th and the 7th century AD, while Italic productions ceased.

The largest known wreck of an amphorae cargo ship, carrying 6,000 pots, was discovered off the coast of [[Kefalonia]], an [[Ionian Islands|Ionian]] island off the coast of [[Greece]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/roman-shipwreck-kefalonia-fiskardo/index.html|title=Biggest ever Roman shipwreck found in the eastern Med|last=Buckley|first=Julia|date=2019-12-16|website=CNN Travel|language=en|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref>

==Modern use==
Some modern winemakers and [[brewer]]s use amphorae to provide a different palate and taste to their products from those that are available with other aging methods.<ref>{{cite web|title=Back to the future|url=http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_22|website=Cantillon.be/br/|publisher=Brasserie Cantillon|access-date=6 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106192624/http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_22|archive-date=6 November 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ancient Roman pottery]]
* [[Ayla-Axum Amphoras]]
* [[Carinate]]
* [[Demijohn]], another large container used historically for wine
* [[Lionel Casson]], scholar of the contents of shipwrecked amphorae
* [[Maritime archaeology]]
* [[Monte Testaccio]]
* [[Stirrup jar]], a two-handled amphora whose opposing handles connect the aperture to the sides of the vessel
* [[Tapayan]], earthenware and stoneware vessels used for storing and transporting various products in ancient maritime Southeast Asia
* [[Zafar, Yemen]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General references==
* {{citation | editor-first=Daniela | editor-last=Gandolfi | title=La ceramica e i materiali di Età Romana. Classi, produzioni, commerci e consumi | publisher=Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri | location=Bordighera | year=2005 | last=Bruno | contribution= Le anfore da trasporto | first=Brunella}}.
* {{citation | title=Céramiques hellénistiques et romaines III | editor-first=Pierre | editor-last=Lévêque | editor2-first=Jean Paul Maurice | editor2-last=Morel | location=Paris | publisher=Belles Lettres | year=2001 | first=Clementina | last=Panella | chapter=Le anfore di età imperiale del Mediterraneo occidentale | pages=177–275 | language=fr}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Amphoras}}
* [http://amphorae.icac.cat/ Amphorae ex Hispania]
* [http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/amphoras/project.html The AMPHORAS project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030075336/http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/amphoras/project.html |date=30 October 2014 }}
* [http://www.amphoreus.org/index.php?lang=en Bulletin amphorologique]
* [http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/amphora_ahrb_2005/ Roman Amphorae: a digital resource] from the University of Southampton
* [https://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.1.6 Roman Amphoras in Britain] in Internet Archaeology {{doi|10.11141/ia.1.6}}

{{Greek amphorae}}
{{Greek vase shapes}}
{{Packaging}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Amphorae| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological terminology]]
[[Category:Bottles]]
[[Category:Storage vessels]]
[[Category:Wine packaging and storage]]
[[Category:Utility vessels]]