Table Of ContentTHE ATHENIAN AGORA
VOLUME XXXVII
AMPHORA STAMPS FROM THASOS
THE ATHENIAN AGORA
RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS CONDUCTED BY
THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS
I Evelyn B. Harrison, Portrait Sculpture (1953)
II Margaret Thompson, Coins: From the Roman through the Venetian Period (1954)
III R. E. Wycherley, Literary and Epigraphical Testimonia (1957; reprinted 1973)
IV Richard Hubbard Howland, Greek Lamps and Their Survivals (1958; reprinted 1966)
V Henry S. Robinson, Pottery of the Roman Period: Chronology (1959)
VI Clairève Grandjouan, Terracottas and Plastic Lamps of the Roman Period (1961)
VII Judith Perlzweig, Lamps of the Roman Period: First to Seventh Century after Christ (1961;
reprinted 1971)
VIII Eva T. H. Brann, Late Geometric and Protoattic Pottery: Mid 8th to Late 7th Century b.c.
(1962; reprinted 1971)
IX George C. Miles, The Islamic Coins (1962)
X Mabel Lang and Margaret Crosby, Weights, Measures, and Tokens (1964)
XI Evelyn B. Harrison, Archaic and Archaistic Sculpture (1965)
XII Brian A. Sparkes and Lucy Talcott, Black and Plain Pottery of the 6th, 5th, and 4th Cen -
turies b.c. (1970)
XIII Sara Anderson Immerwahr, The Neolithic and Bronze Ages (1971)
XIV Homer A. Thompson and R. E. Wycherley, The Agora of Athens: The History, Shape,
and Uses of an Ancient City Center (1972)
XV Benjamin D. Meritt and John S. Traill, Inscriptions: The Athenian Councillors (1974)
XVI A. Geoffrey Woodhead, Inscriptions: The Decrees (1997)
XVII Donald W. Bradeen, Inscriptions: The Funerary Monuments (1974)
XVIII Daniel J. Geagan, Inscriptions: The Dedicatory Monuments (2011)
XIX Gerald V. Lalonde, Merle K. Langdon, and Michael B. Walbank, Inscriptions: Horoi,
Poletai Records, and Leases of Public Lands (1991)
XX Alison Frantz, The Church of the Holy Apostles (1971)
XXI Mabel Lang, Graffiti and Dipinti (1976)
XXII Susan I. Rotroff, Hellenistic Pottery: Athenian and Imported Moldmade Bowls (1982)
XXIII Mary B. Moore and Mary Zelia Pease Philippides, Attic Black-Figured Pottery (1986)
XXIV Alison Frantz, Late Antiquity: a.d. 267–700 (1988)
XXV Mabel L. Lang, Ostraka (1990)
XXVI John H. Kroll, with Alan S. Walker, The Greek Coins (1993)
XXVII Rhys F. Townsend, The East Side of the Agora: The Remains beneath the Stoa of Attalos
(1995)
XXVIII Alan L. Boegehold et al., The Lawcourts at Athens: Sites, Buildings, Equipment, Porcedure,
and Testimonia (1995)
XXIX Susan I. Rotroff, Hellenistic Pottery: Athenian and Imported Wheelmade Table Ware and
Related Material (1997)
XXX Mary B. Moore, Attic Red-Figured and White-Ground Pottery (1997)
XXXI Margaret M. Miles, The City Eleusinion (1998)
XXXII John W. Hayes, Roman Pottery: Fine-Ware Imports (2008)
XXXIII Susan I. Rotroff, Hellenistic Pottery: The Plain Wares (2006)
XXXIV Gladys D. Weinberg and E. Marianne Stern, Vessel Glass (2009)
XXXV Janet Burnett Grossman, Funerary Sculpture (2013)
THE ATHENI A N AGOR A
RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS
CONDUCTED BY
THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS
VOLUME XXXVII
AMPHORA STAMPS FROM THASOS
BY
CHAVDAR TZOCHEV
THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
2016
© The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2016
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tzochev, Chavdar, author. | American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Title: Amphora stamps from Thasos / by Chavdar Tzochev.
Description: Princeton, New Jersey : the American School of Classical Studies at Ath-
ens, 2016. | Series: The Athenian Agora ; volume XXXVII | Includes bibliographi-
cal references and indexes.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016012272 | ISBN 978-0-87661-237-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Amphora stamps—Greece—Thasos. | Agora (Athens, Greece) |
Greece—Commerce—History—To 1500.
Classification: LCC NK4650.A6 T96 2016 | DDC 666/.3275--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016012272
typography by integrated publishing solutions
printed in the united states of america
by thompson-shore, incorporated, dexter, michigan
To the memory of my mother
Venetka Tzocheva
and to my father
Sergey Tzochev
PREFACE
T
his volume was initially conceived as a publication of the Thasian stamped amphora
handles from the Athenian Agora collection. As the work progressed, however, the
presentation of the material was assimilated into a larger study that delves into the conun-
drums of the Thasian stamping system, the chronology of the officials, and amphora trade.
This choice was driven, on the one hand, by the complexity of the subject and the many
unsettled questions surrounding it; and on the other hand, by my wish to bring together the
results of research I have conducted over the past 10 years.
The way to this publication has been paved by Virginia R. Grace, who devoted her life to
the study of transport amphoras and the Athenian Agora. Grace had a special interest in
Thasian stamps and remarkable erudition. Although a great deal of her work remained un-
published, her card catalogue, notes, and letters have been an invaluable resource for my
research since I embarked on this project in 2010.
I would like to thank John McK. Camp II, Agora Excavations director, for entrusting me
with the preparation of this volume and reading the first manuscript draft. The idea of start-
ing this endeavor came from Gerald Finkielsztejn, whose advice and support I deeply ap-
preciate. I am especially indebted to Mark L. Lawall and Susan I. Rotroff, who helped me
greatly with their expertise, encouragement, and inspiration. They both read earlier ver-
sions of the text and made extremely valuable comments. I am also grateful to Michel Debi-
dour and Yvon Garlan, from whom I have learned much about amphora stamps, and who
were always keen to answer my questions. As an external reviewer, Professor Garlan also read
the manuscript and suggested many improvements (not all of which I have accepted). My
gratitude extends to the anonymous reviewer from the ASCSA Publication Committee and
the external anonymous reviewer, whose feedback helped to make this volume better. Any
errors of fact or interpretation that remain are mine alone.
The core of the research was completed between 2010 and 2013 in Athens, partly sup-
ported by a Kress Publication Fellowship. Additional funding came through the Gipson Fel-
lowship for Bulgarian Scholars and the American Research Center in Sofia. The American
School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Stoa of Attalos Research Center opened their
facilities for me, and made me feel at home. My work at the Stoa could hardly have been
more productive and enjoyable, thanks to the wonderful members of the Agora staff. I am
particularly indebted to Sylvie Dumont and Jan Jordan for guiding me through the excava-
tion records; to Amandina Anastassiades and Karen Lovén for cleaning and mending the
amphora handles; to Craig Mauzy and Angelique Sideris for helping me with the endless
photographing process and solving various technological challenges along my way. I also
thank Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan for her assistance with Virginia Grace’s papers in the ASCSA
Archives.
viii PREFACE
The French School at Athens has greatly facilitated my research by giving me residence in
their excavation house on Thasos and granting me access to the stamps from the French
excavations on the island. I would also like to thank the archaeological ephorates of Kavala-
Thasos and Serres for granting me permission to publish photographs of stamped amphora
handles from the collections of the museums of Thasos and Amphipolis; Kalliopi Lazaridou,
who kindly authorized me to publish photographs of stamped handles from the Gymnasion
at Amphipolis in anticipation of their full publication in a volume of the Archaeological
Society of Athens; Francine Blondé for taking the time to show me her excavations in the
northeast part of the agora of Thasos and for providing details about the stratigraphy of the
Valma Well. I extend my gratitude to Edward M. Harris for inviting me to the stimulating
conference, Beyond Self-Sufficiency: Households, City-States and Markets in the Ancient Greek World,
which helped me to develop some of the ideas presented in Chapter 5.
The editorial staff of the ASCSA Publications Office have contributed much to the
successful completion of this project. I thank Andrew Reinhard and Carol Stein for their
assistance during the submission stage of the manuscript; Karen Donohue for copyediting
the text and saving me from many inconsistencies and infelicities; Christian Cloke, Destini
Price, and Colin Whiting for their hard work during the page-proof stage; and especially
Linny Schenck, former Director of Publications, for the enthusiasm and efficiency with
which she handled the publication process. Other colleagues and friends have generously
offered advice, access to museum collections, photographs, and publications. I have probably
forgotten many, but I still wish to thank Alexandru Avram, Nathan Badoud, Livia Buzoianu,
Lyudmil Getov, Denver Graninger, Alan Johnston, Chryssa Karadima-Matsa, Kristian Lo-
renzo, Dimitra Malamidou, Alexander Minchev, Elina Mircheva, Sergey Y. Monakhov, Emil
Nankov, Stratis Papadopulos, Meglena Parvin, Angelos Sotiropoulos, and Totko Stoyanov.
I have a special debt to Bela Dimova, who, I am afraid, learned more about Thasian
amphora stamps than she ever wanted; she patiently read and re-read various drafts, and
took many hours from her own research to improve the text. Finally, I dedicate this book to
my parents in appreciation of their unfailing support over the years.
Chavdar Tzochev
April 2016
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABBREVIATIONS xiii
1. INTRODUCTION 1
SCOPE AND AIMS 1
PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP 2
TERMINOLOGY 5
ILLUSTRATIONS 6
2. THE THASIAN STAMPING SYSTEM: OVERVIEW AND CONTROVERSIES 7
OFFICIALS 8
FABRICANTS 10
DEVICES 11
EXCEPTIONAL STAMPS 14
SYSTEMIC CHANGES AND VARIATIONS IN STAMP COMPOSITION 15
3. STUDY OF ENGRAVERS’ HANDS 21
INTRODUCTION 21
ENGRAVER E1 26
ENGRAVER E2 30
ENGRAVER E3 33
ENGRAVER E4 34
ENGRAVER E5 36
ENGRAVER E6 38
ENGRAVER E7 40
CONCLUSIONS 42
4. CHRONOLOGY 45
METHODOLOGY 45
KEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS AND HISTORICALLY FIXED POINTS 53
DISTINCTION OF HOMONYMS 65
TOWARD A REVISED CHRONOLOGY 79
5. THE THASIAN WINE TRADE AND THE ATHENIAN AGORA: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY 89
OVERVIEW 89
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS 91
INTERPRETATION 95
