Amforele descoperite în necropolele de la Braniște și Tîrzia

Abstract

Excavations at the Roman era necropoleis of Braniște-Nemţișor and Tîrzia, located on an important road connecting Moldavia with Transylvania to the west and the Lower Danube/Mediterranean to the south, have yielded a variety of amphorae. Their careful study contributes to an understanding of this remote society in terms of market demand and commercial connections. These amphorae belong to two areas of production, one local, the other originating in Pontic and Mediterranean areas. If the former amphorae point to relatively cheap and abundant table wines made in the Moldavian zone, the latter, transported in small containers, suggest the presence of an expensive wine imported by local elites to show their high social status. Among these expensive imports, for example, are amphorae of type Kapitän 2, which were produced in the area of Chios, whose wine was used during funerary rituals. This remote society was able to develop its own local wine production for satisfying a mass population and at the same time to establish a commercial network for importing expensive vintages for enhancing its social and economic power in this region.