Amphorae of the Brindisi area in Gallia Belgica:

Abstract

During the 1st century BC, the Oppidum of Titelberg was the chef-lieu of the Treveri. Recent excavations in the southwestern extremity of the Oppidum have proven the existence of a large court, surrounded by small rooms and porches vaguely resembling a macellum. Because of the decor and the outstanding quantity of the Italian imports, this zone is interpreted as a trading centre run by Roman merchants, as Caesar describes was the case for the Oppidum of Cenabum. Here, swamped by the vast amount of Dressel 1 amphorae, at least four different amphorae from the Brindisi area are also present. Due to the small number of fragments and the absence of stamps, the classification of those amphorae remains imprecise. Nevertheless, these examples from the trading centre were mostly detected in contexts dating to the La Tene D2b period and are therefore probably amongst the oldest evidence for Apulian olive oil in Northern Gaul. This paper presents them in detail, as well as considering the the difficulty of their identification. Furthermore, a first interpretation of their presence at the Oppidum of Titelberg is provided. Keywords: Chef-lieu, trading centre, high fragmentation, anepigraphic, Late Iron Age.