Discovering the amphora: classification and history

Discovering the amphora: classification and history by Anne and Jean-Pierre Joncheray

Summary:

1970. That year, the lunar mission Apollo XIII is launched, and ends in anguish. Thousands of kilometers away, in Fréjus, a small archaeological work was also put into orbit. It is about a Classification of the amphoras, 15 000 copies later, the small booklet deserved a revision. In 42 years, important works have clearly identified the study of this vase with two handles, unable to stand! Much more documented books, that we will find quoted in bibliography, appeared. To renew oneself, to avoid redundancy, even copying, it was necessary to write something more original. The present work, if it does not neglect classification, will privilege discovery. For this, the authors have chosen to multiply the logos, which offer a more dynamic image of the object, its content, its origin, its dating.... A bunch of grapes is drawn, and a smell of wine spreads between the pages; the centuries climb on a schematized thermometer; a red spot on a map of the Mediterranean locates an area of production; mini-amphoras clump on the paper to symbolize the abundance of a form! ...And also, this playful approach of the amphora will imply to treat also annexed subjects, all as interesting: the material associated within the deposits, the evocation of some beautiful wrecks, the essential historical reminder to situate the container in its context. A new and pleasant way to discover the amphora.