Their long handles and solid spiked toes made them easy to be lifted onto the shoulder of a stevedore as well as efficiently stacked in the hold of a ship.Īn easy day's sail from Rome, the port of Cosa enjoyed the protection of one of the few promontories along this predominantly sandy coastline. These Dressel IB amphoras held about 26 liters of wine. Since these tall necked Dressel IB amphoras are by far the most numerous shape in the cargo, it is reasonable to suggest that Wreck D was loaded at Cosa on its way south. Cosa is the earliest Roman port thus far known dating back to 273 B.C. Williams at the University of Southampton identifies the clay with an amphora kiln in Albinia, next to the Roman port of Cosa 10 on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy in ancient Etruria. (Fig.4) 8 27 of these amphoras can be identified in the photomosaic and two were lifted. Concentrated in nature, only a few garum jars are usually found with any shipment of wine.īy far the most numerous amphora shape on Wreck D is that of Dressel Form IB (Will Type 4b), a popular wine amphora dated from about 80 to 30 B.C. Garum was used as both a popular condiment as well as for medicinal needs and brought high prices. These are mainly wine jars but also some for oil and garum, the prized fish sauce of the ancient Romans made from the guts of fish. The amphoras are surprisingly varied and include at least 13 different forms originating in Italy, North Africa and Greece. Did the hull fracture across the middle as it sank or were there two separate holds? Or perhaps a cargo had just been unloaded or the cargo in the central area was biodegradable, such as woven goods, grains or hides. Why there are two groups of amphoras remains a question. The discharge pipes of the bilge pump are visible at the forward end of this group. A gap of 3.6 m separates this heap from a second larger cluster of artifacts at the aft end of the wreck site. The forward cluster includes a hand-rotated stone quern and a large roof tile, suggesting the location of the galley. Two distinct clusters of artifacts are seen in the photomosaic of Skerki D.