WRECK OF EUROCAMPING. VI-VII CENTURY A.D.
SPATHEION 1
MUSAS Ref. No.:
CAPCOL-20
Inv. No.
Description
Spatheion amphora (a small amphora for maritime transport of valuable liquids) of Keay XXVI type, made in North Africa. Cylindrical, narrow and elongated body, pointed foot with rounded, everted and lowered rim. Cylindrical neck, with two narrow handles on the sides, with a slight central narrowing.
Dimensions
108 cm; body diam. 17cm
Materials
Terracotta
Location
Depot, National Archaeological Museum of Capo Colonna
Origin
Wreck of Eurocamping.
Dating
VI-VII century A.D.
Biological degradation
The artefact present some traces of biological colonisation only on a part of the mouth’s lip. The whitish encrustation in the form of calcareous tubes is caused by an epilithic (superficial) growth of sedentary sea worms.
References
KEAY 1984, p. 212; MEDAGLIA 2008, p. 108; MEDAGLIA 2010, p. 289 with references; CORRADO 2001, p. 542-543.
REFERENCES
Corrado M. 2001, Nuovi dati sul limes marittimo bizantino del Bruttium, in Archeologia Medievale 28, pp. 533-569.
Keay S. J. 1984, Late Roman amphorae in the Western Mediterranean. A typology and economic study: the Catalan evidence, Oxford, British Archaeological Reports International Series.
Medaglia S. 2008, Per un censimento dei relitti antichi lungo la costa crotonese. Nota preliminare, in Ricerche archeologiche e storiche in Calabria: modelli e prospettive, “Atti del convegno di studi in onore di Giovanni Azzimmaturo (Cosenza 2007)”, Cosenza, pp. 93-120.
Medaglia S. 2010, Carta archeologica della provincia di Crotone: paesaggi storici e insediamenti nella Calabria centro-orientale dalla Preistoria all’Altomedioevo, Ricerche IV. Collana del Dipartimento di Archeologia e Storia delle Arti, Università della Calabria, Rossano.
SPATHEION 2
MUSAS Ref. No.:
CAPCOL-21
Inv. No.
142162
Description
Spatheion amphora (a small amphora for maritime transport of valuable liquids) of Keay XXVI type, made in North Africa. Cylindrical, narrow and elongated body, missing the foot, with rounded, everted and lowered rim. Cylindrical neck with a slight central narrowing. One handle is missing.
Dimensions
cm 65; max body diam. cm 16
Materials
Terracotta
Location
Depot, National Archaeological Museum of Capo Colonna
Origin
Punta Scifo. Wreck of Eurocamping.
Dating
VI-VII century A.D.
Biological degradation
The amphora presents a widespread biological colonisation in the form of small tubular calcareous encrustations caused by epilithic (superficial) growth of sedentary sea worms. The distribution of biological remains indicates that the artefact remained free from sediments for some time, allowing for some biological development. The varying dimensions of specimens confirm that the colonisation was active at the time of the recovery, as many specimens were in the early stage of development.
References
KEAY 1984, p. 212; MEDAGLIA 2008, p. 108; MEDAGLIA 2010, p. 289 with references; CORRADO 2001, p. 542-543.
REFERENCES
Corrado M. 2001, Nuovi dati sul limes marittimo bizantino del Bruttium, in Archeologia Medievale 28, pp. 533-569.
Keay S. J. 1984, Late Roman amphorae in the Western Mediterranean. A typology and economic study: the Catalan evidence, Oxford, British Archaeological Reports International Series.
Medaglia S. 2008, Per un censimento dei relitti antichi lungo la costa crotonese. Nota preliminare, in Ricerche archeologiche e storiche in Calabria: modelli e prospettive, “Atti del convegno di studi in onore di Giovanni Azzimmaturo (Cosenza 2007)”, Cosenza, pp. 93-120.
Medaglia S. 2010, Carta archeologica della provincia di Crotone: paesaggi storici e insediamenti nella Calabria centro-orientale dalla Preistoria all’Altomedioevo, Ricerche IV. Collana del Dipartimento di Archeologia e Storia delle Arti, Università della Calabria, Rossano.
In the stretch of sea close to Eurocamping, just south of Capo Colonna, various spatheia (Keay XXVI) of North African production that are attributable to a shipwreck happened between the VI and the VII centuries A.D. were found (1). Unfortunately, as this wreck is located at a shallow depth not far away from the coast, it was looted several times.
The spatheion is a small amphora with a cylindrical and tapering shape. Coming from Africa, it was used for olive oil, even though other products cannot be excluded. Its production dates back between the IV and the VII century A.D.
The data cards of the two digitised spatheia belonging to this wreck are available on this page.
NOTES
1 CORRADO 2001, p. 543, nota 56; MEDAGLIA 2008, p. 108 ; MEDAGLIA 2010, p. 289
REFERENCES
Corrado M. 2001, Nuovi dati sul limes marittimo bizantino del Bruttium, in Archeologia Medievale XXVIII, pp. 533-569.
Medaglia S. 2008, Per un censimento dei relitti antichi lungo la costa crotonese. Nota preliminare, in Ricerche archeologiche e storiche in Calabria: modelli e prospettive, “Atti del convegno di studi in onore di Giovanni Azzimmaturo (Cosenza 2007)”, Cosenza, pp. 93-120.
Medaglia S. 2010, Carta archeologica della provincia di Crotone: paesaggi storici e insediamenti nella Calabria centro-orientale dalla Preistoria all’Altomedioevo, Ricerche IV. Collana del Dipartimento di Archeologia e Storia delle Arti, Università della Calabria, Rossano.