Amphorae from the Roman settlement of Langweid on the via Claudia Augusta

In 2009-2010, parts of a Roman settlement of the 1st century AD on the via Claudia Augusta, the most important transport route from Italy across the Central Alps to the river Danube, were archaeologically investigated in Langweid, about 15 km north of Augsburg (Bavaria). During the excavations an extraordinarily extensive amount of pottery, glass and other finds were recovered. Of particular interest is a large assemblage of Mediterranean transport amphorae, which is outstanding in the Roman province of Raetia. These vessels attest the transport of foodstuffs and other goods from the entire Mediterranean region to the northern foothills of the Alps during the Early Imperial Period.

Research objectives

The aim of the research project is the comprehensive archaeological investigation of the amphora series and its evaluation. The main questions to be examined are:

• With which commodities and other goods were the Roman or 'Romanized' inhabitants of the settlement of Langweid supplied? What similarities and special features emerge with regard to contemporaneous civilian or military Roman settlements in the region?
• In which (long-distance) trade networks and economic areas was the settlement integrated?
• What conclusions can be drawn from the range of goods about the identity of the inhabitants and their (Mediterranean) way of life, and what does this mean for the heterogeneous population structure in the north of the province of Raetia during the 1st century?

The results are to be compared with both the investigations on the other find material and those on the structure and character of the settlement, which are currently being carried out by B. Steidl (Archäologische Staatssammlung Munich).

Methodology

The amphorae are classified according to type, chronology, content and provenance. Archaeometric analyses are also used here. The assemblage is compared to other sites and assessed in the context of trade networks of the 1st century AD at the intersection of Italy, the Rhine area, and the Danube region.

The project is integrated into the sub-project "Transalpiner Kulturtransfer: Bevölkerung und Nutztiere des raetischen Alpen- und Alpenvorlandes im 1. Jahrhundert n. Chr." (J. Peters) of the project "Transalpine Mobility and Culture Transfer" (research group FOR 1670) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).