Rhodian Amphorae of the 3rd – 2nd Centuries BC from the Krasnodar Museum Collection

Abstract

This paper presents stamped Rhodian containers from the excavations of ancient monuments of the Kuban river region, stored in the Krasnodar State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve named after E.D. Felitsyn. The greater part of the amphorae was found as a result of excavations of Maeotian burials mainly, which contained other imports: black-glazed or red-glazed ceramics, relief bowls, etc. The first part of the publication focuses on characterizing the complexes. It is noted that in some instances we encounter inconsistencies in the dating of different inventory items originating from the same burial. In the second part of the article, single amphorae, which origin cannot reliably be identified, are analyzed. The stamps imprinted on them are of special significance. There are stamps containing new previously unknown combinations of eponyms and fabricants names on three of the amphorae. In two cases, the commonly accepted period of activity of the fabricants Διονύσιος and ΙΜΑ(-) should be prolonged for 10–15 years. The situation with the fabricant Ζωίλος is different. Traditionally, his name was associated with eponyms of the III period (198–161 BC), however, in our case his stamp is on the amphora in combination with the stamp of the eponym dated to the Vb period (125–121 BC) – Τεισαμένος. It is thought that here the point at issue is a homonym. An indirect proof of this is the different typological affiliation of the fabricants’ stamps. Among the Rhodian stamps, there are rectangular unemblemed imprints with the name Ζωίλος and round imprints with the same name around the rose. In the final part, examples of new combinations of stamps of eponyms and fabricants, whose activities do not have chronological gaps, are given as well as vessels with stamps of previously unknown stamps are considered. The amphora stamped by fabricant Μένων II, who worked in the time of the eponyms of periods II and III, is of special interest; the eponymous stamp is reconstructed as may be supposed. In this case, the vessel itself is of interest, representing a later, previously unknown variety of amphorae of the “koroni” variant.