endlessrarities | The Used Amphora Emporium...

Tonight's post is probably going to be rather dull. Dull from the layperson's perspective, but exciting for an archaeologist!

I mentioned how I found Herculaneum particularly interesting because the conditions of burial resulted in the unusual survival of both structural ironwork and timbers. So naturally I had to devote a post to this subject.

To the ironwork, first of all. It doesn't look like much, but it allows a clear insight into how these windows would have looked when Herculaneum was in its heyday:-

The authorities have helpfully inserted a replacement grille, which demonstrates just how much the corrosion has added to the original form of the ironwork.

Another view of a house structure now. The timber work in the upper storey is new, but the joists which support the upper floor appear to be the real McCoy:-

And there's no prizes for the first person who spots the inevitable fast food joint...

I've left the best bit till last. Believe it or not, this particularly structure really had the WOW!! factor for me: it represents a remarkably intact Roman shop, with its fixtures and fittings pretty much in situ.

What did it sell? Well, it's stacked full of amphorae - please don't ask me whether they're Dressel IA or IB or some other form of amphora which I haven't even heard of (please note that I know nothing about amphora typology!). Were these amphorae empty, or full when they were on display here? If they were full, then did this this shop represent the local wine merchant or fish oil supplier? Or was it the Roman equivalent of a pallet distribution centre, supplying every Roman citizen's amphora needs?

I'm not sure that we'll ever know. And I don't suppose it really matters, because I think this building speaks for itself:-

And now, let's spare a thought for the unfortunate custodians of Herculaneum. Think of the conservation issues which arise from a site which has so much fragile charred timber surviving in its original location...

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It appears to me that if I found myself hurled backwards in time, the best thing to do would be to invest heavily in amphorae!

Could be the headquarters of the Eddius Stobartus, providing logistical expertise to the noble citizens of Rome.

Just stunning!

Charred timber, if I remember correctly, presents somewhat less complex conservation issues than some, does it not?

I don't think it's a particularly robust material. It's not subject to biological attack, like regular wood, but it'll still be prone to physical degradation, particularly if it's left out in the open. And it's probably prone to fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. I daresay it should really be filled with a polymer, like regular wood, if it's going to survive. But imagine the cost of treating this lot with a polymer, let alone the problems of whether to try and treat in situ or whatever.

Oh, boy, that'd be a task and a half!!

That photo of the amphorae, second from the bottom is so poignant. It's as though the people who worked there have only just stepped outside for a moment, whereas in reality... :(

It's a sobering thought.

Wow - you mean that amphora rack thing is original?

Bloomin' eck!

I couldn't put it better myself!!

Although the big, dramatic buildings like temples and arenas tend to get all the attention, I think an insight into the everyday life of citizens of an era can be even more fascinating. Seeing things like shops and houses and speculating on how people went about their daily lives is so interesting.

It's certainly something you don't see everyday. That's why I had a double take!!

This is amazing. I had no idea that timber survived in Herculaneum - fires and hot air don't really sound timber-friendly.

They really should rebuild some shops and a fast food joint in the Archaeologtical Park in Xanten. Those must have existend in the Colonia Ulpia Traiana, after all, not only the fancy stuff like the amphitheatre and the inn. Though they are busy building some artisan workshops right now, which should prove interesting as well, esp. if they go for demonstations of Roman crafts. And they use the original methods of building as far as possible (and modern safety concerns allow).

Though I'm putting Herculaneum on my list. Didn't really want to go to Italy because I can't stand the heat and the tourists, but well ...

I presume the secret is the speed with which the pyroclastic flow consumed the site. You get a short period of intense heat which causes charring, then the oxygen supply is gone and the burning ceases. There's enough time to completely destroy a human body, but substantial timbers must survive.

Oh, you must go there! You're a Romanist, for heaven's sake!!! That's like being a prehistorian and never visiting Skara Brae.

Ah, on second thought... I haven't visited Skara Brae yet. Ooops!!!!

Lol, that one's been on my list for a long time. Next Scotland tour should include the Orkneys.

That would be like me never visiting the Marston Moor battlefield!

Italy is only full of tourists in the bits that are full of tourists. Okay, I'm biased 'cos I have Italian ancestry but if you go to, say, Siena or Verona, go after four in the evening- it's mostly day tourism and they're all gone by then.

Venice, Rome and Florence are heaving with tourists and the trick there is to stop somewhere out on the edge- Trastevere or Laterano in Rome, or somewhere on the Terrafirma for Venice for example.

I have been to Skara Brae and it's well worth the trip but then we spend rather a lot of time in the Orkneys (little for a Romanist up there, however :o)

Or was it the Roman equivalent of a pallet distribution centre, supplying every Roman citizen's amphora needs?

This made me laugh out loud. Around here, when people want to get rid of old pallets, they leave them out for free. I wonder if Romans left old amphorae out for free.

I was told once that a robust pallet in good condition is quite a valuable commodity - maybe the person in question a) had a strange sense of humour, or b) had invested heavily in the pallet industry.

We used to use them as a useful base layer for stacking hay bales.

That is an *excellent* idea! I may just have to put that in practice. (I store one hay bale at a time in my shed, for use for our guinea pigs. I always just balance it precariously on an old chair. A pallet makes more sense.

The challenge is now to find a suitable pallet!

We had seven in all, but I donated them to the livery yard where Squire was billeted. They were eager to accept them.

I happen to have several! Which I gathered about a decade ago when my kids thought they might make a fort in the woods with them. They've been lying around, gently decaying, ever since!

Problem sorted, just like that!!!

You should have two piled up on each other, for extra circulation.

The Used Amphora Emporium...

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base for hay bales

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