Kenchreai Archaeological Archive: KTH1323+699+720 (Samos Cistern Amphora)

KTH1323+699+720 (Samos Cistern Amphora) [permalink] [show fewer links]

Type

Inventoried Object

In or from KTH Container

KTH Container 21, bag 1

Logical part of

Threpsiades Inventoried Objects

Typological identification

Samos Cistern Amphora

Description

Cylindrical to conical neck, flaring to plain, short, outwardly thickened rim. Rounded shoulder. Vertical loop handles, oval in section with grooves on top, attach asymmetrically to upper neck/rim and shoulder. Wheel-ridging from shoulder downward. Thin coating of pitch painted inside and over lip in wide bands, but a few sprayed spots below.

Fabric, firing, and surface description

Brownish red fabric fired slightly darker at surface to grayish brown. Slightly coarse, hard; granular break and gritty or sandy surface texture; uncommon, tiny to small, moderately well sorted, mostly rounded to subrounded, white and off-white particles (calcareous and quartzitic); rare isolated medium angular lime chunks; rare tiny dark bits (dark red, gray?); abundant small golden and a few silver micaceous flakes, many flattened on both surfaces. Traces of wet-smoothing around neck to mouth. Patches of excess clay pressed flat around upper neck and rim; one irregular blob of clay inside filling indentation at lower attachment of handle. SCA Fabric C: eastern Aegean/western Asia Minor.

Preservation comment

Three joining sherds (699+720+1323) preserve 85% of rim and neck, both handles, and part of shoulder to upper wall. Slight, very sparse abrasion with minor pitting and scoring; somewhat worn breaks; thin, faint film of encrustation in patches. Post-depositional burning in clouds perhaps overlapping with smeared pitch.

Handle width