Vicenza. Traffici commerciali in epoca romana. I dati delle anfore. Nuova ediz

The aim of research is the reconstruction of Vicenza commercial traffics, in Roman age, by the analisys of amphoras, which are discovered in great number and often complete in the Venetia cities, because them are re-employed, once emptied of content, as drain material for grounds improvement and damp areas reutilisation.
After a brief morphology and topography description of territory of the ancient city, six contexts have been analyzed, characterized by a particular concentrations of amphoras (chapter 1): each site has been positioned on an archaeological map, created in this occasion; for the most recent research the excavation records, the archive research for XVIII and the beginnings of XIX century excavations, and the tipology of amphoras (738 amphoras have been analyzed) have been examined, to reach each context chronology. All the amphoras preserved in Archaeological Naturalistic Museum and in city buildings have also been analyzed, to reach the recovery place, thought precise indication was lost.
Next chapter (chapter 2) is about functional interpretation of amphoras preparation: some of them are drains to contain water table excursion, especially to get necropolis space. In a case the amphoras where employed to structuring and to isolate from the damp a mighty embankment, that defended the south east districts from the rivers floods; the amphoras were finally employed for ground stabilizing and levelling, to increase edificabile surface in urban area.
The typologies of amphoras have been analyzed (chapter 3), the greatest percentage of which results of italic production, particularly Dressel 6A and Dressel 6B, an oriental part, among which the late rodian and the Dressels 25, are the most frequent, while a small contribution comes from the iberian Dressel 7-11. Among the italic typologies, have been distinguished, both for oil and for wine amphoras, different groups with morphological and material characteristics connected to north italic, or istrian or mid adriatic areas.
The majority of amphoras have a adriatic production and have a lot of stamps, so particular attention have been saved for stamps (chapter 4), often more eloquent than the tipological characteristic as it regards amphoras chronology and origin: 121 stamps, 26 on Dressel 6A and 94 on Dressel 6B, 13 graffitos and two tituli picti have been analyzed.
Finally follows (chapter 5) the analysis of Vicenza economy, between the late republican and claudian age, when oil and wine come from north italic, istrian and mid adraitic markets, a tipical wine comes from Aegean islands, and fish sauces come from Iberian regions (fish bones founded inside a Dressel 6A (chapter 3) have forced to reflect on a garum local production, that may be commercialized in re-used amphoras).
Vicenza has been compared with Verona, Padua, Altino and Oderzo, and is evident that have an economic role like the other cities of Venetia and shows to have a remarkable commercial vivacity, since is related with all the productive areas of Mediterranean basin, from Aegean to Baetica, and shows indipendent exchanges, now conversing with Verona economic pole, now with Padua.