Call for Papers

Rome, 2-3 April 2025

Recent decades have seen a great expansion of attention to the production, distribution and
consumption of transport amphoras throughout the Mediterranean. This expansion is due in part
to the encouragement of the PATABS conferences, the welcoming setting of the IARPotHP
conferences, where an increasing number of papers are concerned with amphoras, and the
amphora-focused conferences in Athens (2004, 2010) and Berlin (2018). In addition, it is worth
noting the increasing frequency with which articles related to amphoras appear in Turkish
journals and the acts of regional archaeological conferences in Greece. The breadth of fabric
analyses coupled with typological research on pre-Roman amphoras in the western
Mediterranean has likewise inspired new research questions and led to radical reconsideration of
amphora studies from Corinth westward as far as the gateway to the Atlantic. The FACEM
website has played a crucial role in this process.
New research methods in terrestrial and underwater fieldwork, as well as archaeometric and
computational analyses, have increased knowledge of amphora production techniques,
distribution logistics and consumption patterns. Against this backdrop of progress, we are
proposing a series of two-day conferences bringing together researchers to share new
discoveries, address broader long-standing issues, and explore new paths for future studies.

DAI Rome (German Archaeological Institute)
April 2-3, 2025

This conference is the second of three such meetings (Istanbul, Rome and Thessaloniki) to
highlight new research programs and attendant issues arising in each region. The Rome
conference aims to bring together Eastern and Western Mediterranean amphora studies and
discuss the links between these regions, often treated as two isolated universes. The conference
will feature two days of papers (April 2-3), and one day of excursion (April 4) to view the
amphoras from Etruscan tombs in the Villa Giulia storerooms, last on display in 1990.

We propose three main topics for the conference:
1. Amphora circulation in the context of the Greek Colonization to the West (Sicily,
Southern Italy, Etruria, Southern France)
2. Between Greek and Punic tradition: Amphora production and distribution in the Classical
and Hellenistic Mediterranean
3. Connectivity between the east and the west Mediterranean
For each theme, we have arranged one or two keynote papers of 30 minutes, but we invite
proposals for 15 to 20-minute papers to address specific topics related to these three areas of
research. Please complete the Google Forms document HERE including a title and abstract (no
more than 250 words) by December 1, 2024.

At this point, we are in the process of applying for conference funding to offset some of the costs
of travel and lodging in Rome, and the DAI Rome has very generously offered some
accommodations and the venue for the papers. We will not know the results of grant proposals
for financial support until October 2024, so participants should be prepared to cover their own
costs.
While a significant goal of all three meetings is to bring people together, to share ideas and
develop lasting collaborations, we understand that travel is not possible for all interested
participants. The conference will be set up for hybrid participation so that some papers can be
delivered remotely and the proceedings may be followed online.
The languages for presentation are English (preferred), Italian and German (with PowerPoint
presentation text in English). The papers from this meeting and the meetings in Istanbul and
Thessaloniki will be gathered into one volume for publication, likely in 2026, in a venue to be
determined.

Questions? Please contact the Organizing Committee at Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.
The Organizing Committee:
Kostas Filis (Ephorate of Antiquities of the Chalkidiki and Mt. Athos)
Sabine Huy (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel)
Berslan Korkut (Koç University)
Mark Lawall (University of Manitoba)