Lead Labelling on Roman Amphoras. A Short‐Lived Fashion?

Abstract

The 1970s saw the first publication of a set of lead plaques used as labels on transport vessels found in a shipwreck off Annaba, Algeria. They were wrapped around the handles of several Africana II C2 amphoras and some referred to officinae, probably of salted fish. Labelling merchandise with tesserae plumbeae was common for products such as textiles in the Roman Empire, but considered unusual on amphoras. New finds in the coastal archaeological sites of the villa of Portmán (Spain) and Portimão (Portugal) have led us to reconsider this statement. In this article we discuss these newly discovered lead labels and assess their chronology, use, and rarity in the archaeological record.