Les Fontanelles reveals the largest collection of amphorae with Roman labels documented in the Mediterranean

PalmThe 4th-century Roman ship discovered beneath the sands of Les Fontanelles by a local resident swimming at Palma beach in the summer of 2019 concealed a true archaeological treasure: the largest collection of amphorae with inscriptions describing their cargo ever documented in the Mediterranean. The exceptional nature of the site has been revealed as it has been studied, primarily because the goods the ship carried from Carthago Spartaria (around present-day Cartagena) have been preserved as if in a time capsule for over 1,600 years.

"The site is very unique for many reasons, firstly because it is 65 meters from one of the most touristic beaches in Mallorca and two meters deep, in an exceptional state of preservation, with the entire cargo of amphorae preserved in an impressive condition," explains Arqueomallornauta, co-director of the Fontanelles project, to EFE.

The investigation, completed after the excavation of the entire cargo, quantifies the magnitude of the find: 320 amphorae stacked on two levels that covered almost the entire length and beam of the hold, measuring 12 by five meters, containing a mixed shipment of fish sauces, oil, and workshop wine, as reported in the latest issue of the journal of the Spanish Archaeological Archive.

Surprising integrity

According to this initial analysis of the entire hoard, the remains from Les Fontanelles are an extraordinary find due to the remarkable integrity of the amphorae. Many have been recovered complete and with their seals intact, while several have new shapes—named for posterity after the Mallorcan site where they were primarily found. In total, 84 amphorae retain their labels painted with a brush and black ink.

"It is the largest collection of painted inscriptions, called titule picti"This type of evidence has never been found in any remains in the Mediterranean," emphasizes Cau, one of the authors of the article. Some of the amphorae "bear the names of the people behind these products," two merchants named Alumni and Ausonius; the other part is anonymous. The public and private aspects of maritime transport had not been documented with such clarity in Roman remains until now.

They also describe the product contained in each amphora: "In the case of garum sauce, it says Licuaminos floswhich is garum flower, a highly prized sauce. Then it says oleum uiride and oleum dulqe to those containing oil, and a weighing system that indicates the empty and full weight of the product."

From the contents, it is known that the transported sauce was anchovy-based and that a good portion of the oil is equivalent to what would be considered extra virgin today.

The detailed inscriptions have allowed specialists to "reconstruct in great detail how the shipment was organized and how many or who owned the various batches of amphorae." "It provides information about the contents and the social structure behind the marketing of the products, because there were two individuals, students of Tausonius, who formed a kind of partnership that packaged these products," explains Miquel Àngel Cau.

"Furthermore, we know that they were most likely freedmen working for other individuals, probably members of the Flavian family," the archaeologist adds. The link to Flavius This is determined by the inscription on four sealed stoppers. They also feature the Chi-Rho symbol, which has been one of the key clues for dating the ship to the 4th century.

The epigraphy present on more than a quarter of the amphorae from the Les Fontanelles remains not only opens new avenues of historical research, but also raises significant questions about the economy and maritime trade of Carthage in the autumn period, the authors of the article point out.

This week, work began to extract the remains from the sea and determine their naval architecture. "We are continuing to work on it," Cau acknowledges.