Only the Best Olive Oil, Please: On New Amphorae Finds From Mursa

Abstract

Large scale rescue excavations in the former Barracks area in present-day Osijek (Mursa) in eastern Croatia yielded important Late La Tène and Roman finds. Thin-walled pottery, terra sigillata and amphorae point to a flourishing 1st c. AD phase of the Roman settlement, especially from the middle of the century until the Flavian era. Amphorae present a small percentage in the recovered pottery, among them dominate those of type Dressel 6B with two stamped pieces. Other types are less common and correspond to the usual type assemblage of other contemporary sites in the region. Since the Dressel 6B type is usually associated with the distribution of olive oil but also to the movements of the Roman army, these examples are used as an opportunity to discuss possible final recipients of the recovered vessels and reflect on the frequency of stamps during the 1st c. AD in Pannonian amphorae samples.