Amfora

En amfora er en høj oldgræsk beholder^[1] og vase med hals og to hanke. Bunden kan være spids, med fod eller fx trefod. Amforaen er oftest lavet af keramik, men kan i nyere tid også være lavet af marmor, glas eller metal.

Etymologi

Ordet amphora er latin afledt af det oldgræske amphoreus (Αμφορέας) eller amphiphoreos (af amphi- ("på begge sider") + phoreios ("bærer")).

Anvendelse

Amforaen blev brugt til opbevaring og transport af fx olivenolie og vin og kan rumme ca. 26-39 liter. DNA-rester har vist, at de også blev anvendt til transport af krydderier (enebær, pistacia (fx ægte pistacie og mastiks), planter af fyrre- og ærteblomst-familien (fabaceae; fx bønner og kikærter), ingefær-familien og valnød-familien.^[2]

Amforaerne kunne have låg, prop eller være forseglet ved transport af væsker. Der er fundet mange slags propper.^[3] Indersiden blev behandlet med harpiks, så væsker har lav permeabilitet i keramikken.^[4] Græsk vin kan stadig være tilsat harpiks (retsina).

Amforaer har navn efter de to hanke. Bærehåndtagene lod to personer bære amforaen, der kan veje mere end 30 kg med indhold. Mange amforaer har en spids bund, så de kan stå i sand.

Andet

Snabel-a @ var i middelalderens Sydeuropa en forkortelse for amfora.^[5]

Fund

Franske arkæologer har fundet ca. 2000 år gamle forseglede amforaer. Spændingen var stor, da de åbnede en for at smage på indholdet. Imidlertid havde kemiske processer i tidens løb nedbrudt alt, hvad der kunne give mindelser om det oprindelige indhold: væsken smagte af vand.^{[kilde mangler]}

Se også

Pithos - oldgræsk navn for stor beholder fra antikken ca. 100-1800 liter.
Oinochoe - græsk væskebeholder fra antikken beregnet til at fylde kopper og glas ved bordet.
Onggi - koreansk beholder.

Referencer

^ Twede, D. (2002), "Commercial Amphoras: The Earliest Consumer Packages?", Journal of Macromarketing, 22 (1): 98-108, doi:10.1177/027467022001009, S2CID 154514559, hentet 19. juni 2019
^ "Journal of Archaeological Science. Volume 39, Issue 2, February 2012, Pages 389-398: Aspects of ancient Greek trade re-evaluated with amphora DNA evidence. Brendan P. Foley, Maria C. Hansson, Dimitris P. Kourkoumelis, Theotokis A. Theodoulou" (PDF). Arkiveret fra originalen (PDF) 6. marts 2022. Hentet 6. marts 2022.
^ BABesch 82 (2007, 115-128. doi: 10.2143/BAB.82.1.2020764) Sealed amphora stoppers and tradesmen in Greco-Roman Egypt: archaeological, papyrological and inscriptional evidence. Evelien Denecker and Katelijn Vandorpe Citat: "...The study of Egyptian amphora stoppers and sealings has long been neglected in favour of studies on the amphorae themselves and stamped amphora handles...The entire corpus of evidence is available through a database-driven website: http://www.trismegistos.org/seals/ ...In many vessels, opening devices (commonly called ‘pop-top devices’) have been found. These pop-top devices usually consisted of strings which were used to pull the sealing out of its place...", backup
^ RIZZO, GIORGIO, 2003. Instrumenta Urbis. I, Ceramiche fini da mensa, lucerne ed anfore a Roma nei primi due secoli dell’impero. Side 141.
^ 8 March 2016, bbc.com: The mystery over the @ sign Citat: "...[Giorgio] Stabile discovered a letter sent from Seville to Rome in 1536, which discussed the arrival in Spain of three ships sailing from the New World. It stated that an amphora of wine was sold and "amphora" was replaced with the @ symbol as an abbreviation. Stabile concluded the @ symbol was a common medieval shorthand for units of measure in southern Europe, even if the precise units differed...", backup

Søsterprojekter med yderligere information:

Kategorien "Amphoras" på Wikimedia Commons

[1] Twede, D. (2002), "Commercial Amphoras: The Earliest Consumer Packages?", Journal of Macromarketing, 22 (1): 98-108, doi:10.1177/027467022001009, S2CID 154514559, hentet 19. juni 2019

[2] "Journal of Archaeological Science. Volume 39, Issue 2, February 2012, Pages 389-398: Aspects of ancient Greek trade re-evaluated with amphora DNA evidence. Brendan P. Foley, Maria C. Hansson, Dimitris P. Kourkoumelis, Theotokis A. Theodoulou" (PDF). Arkiveret fra originalen (PDF) 6. marts 2022. Hentet 6. marts 2022.

[3] BABesch 82 (2007, 115-128. doi: 10.2143/BAB.82.1.2020764) Sealed amphora stoppers and tradesmen in Greco-Roman Egypt: archaeological, papyrological and inscriptional evidence. Evelien Denecker and Katelijn Vandorpe Citat: "...The study of Egyptian amphora stoppers and sealings has long been neglected in favour of studies on the amphorae themselves and stamped amphora handles...The entire corpus of evidence is available through a database-driven website: http://www.trismegistos.org/seals/ ...In many vessels, opening devices (commonly called ‘pop-top devices’) have been found. These pop-top devices usually consisted of strings which were used to pull the sealing out of its place...", backup

[4] RIZZO, GIORGIO, 2003. Instrumenta Urbis. I, Ceramiche fini da mensa, lucerne ed anfore a Roma nei primi due secoli dell’impero. Side 141.

[5] 8 March 2016, bbc.com: The mystery over the @ sign Citat: "...[Giorgio] Stabile discovered a letter sent from Seville to Rome in 1536, which discussed the arrival in Spain of three ships sailing from the New World. It stated that an amphora of wine was sold and "amphora" was replaced with the @ symbol as an abbreviation. Stabile concluded the @ symbol was a common medieval shorthand for units of measure in southern Europe, even if the precise units differed...", backup

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