Trade and commercial activity in Tarsus in Late Antiquity: evidence from Egyptian and Palestinian amphorae

Amphorae unearthed during excavations at the Roman Baths and Olive Market sites in Tarsus provide significant insights into the city’s maritime trade with various regions. These amphorae, mostly dating to the Roman and Late Antique periods, shed light on the commercial connections the Cilician port city of Tarsus maintained with various centres across the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. Among the amphorae found at the Roman Baths and Olive Market are examples produced in Egypt and Palestine in the eastern Mediterranean region. The Egyptian amphorae are of types AE 5/6 and AE 7, represented by fragments of rim-neck, neck-shoulder-body, and body-base sections. Based on comparison, these are dated to the 6th and 7th centuries AD, with type AE 5/6 amphorae being more numerous. The other group consists of Late Roman 4 amphorae of Palestinian origin, identified as rim, handle and base fragments. Found at both sites, they belong to the A2 and B1 variants of the LR 4 amphorae. Amphorae of this group were dated between the second quarter and the end of the 5th century AD, as well as to the late 5th and first half of the 6th centuries AD. Wine was exported to Tarsus in these Egyptian and Palestinian amphorae. The latest examples are dated to the mid-7th century AD, around the time of the Arabian-Byzantine Wars, during which Tarsus was captured by the Arabians.