The Laecanius amphorae in Brijuni

The amphorae, a particular group of ceramic objects, provide information about agriculture, commerce and consumption. The stated goal of the project is to publish the new Laecanius amphorae from the Castrum villa in Brijuni. The Laecanius amphora stamps and the villas of Brijuni (Bezeczky 1998) contained the amphorae which were available until the middle of the 90-ies. At that time it was not possible to study the amphorae in one of the Laecanius villas (Castrum). In the meantime, however, all the amphorae have been gathered from the various stores and are now held in the archaeological collection of the Brijuni National Park. The villa excavations unearthed about thirty thousand well-identifiable items (amphorae, tegulae, fine ware, glass, etc.). In addition, a number of new Laecanius amphorae have been found in Italy, in Istria and in the provinces of the Roman Empire. The new situation demands an update of knowledge. The written sources and the archaeological excavations provide a unique chance of making an almost complete picture of one of the important economic centres of the early Imperial period. From Pula to Tergeste traces of several villas with olive-producing facilities have been discovered. However, there is only two known amphora workshop in the region. One of the best-known owners was the Laecanius family. The family had a workshop and a villa on the sea shore in Fažana. The workshop produced Dressel 6B amphorae containing olive oil. There are three known phases of the figlina. From the end of the first century B.C. to A.D. 78 it belonged to the Laecanius family; During reign of Emperor Vespasian the last Laecanius died without an heir and the ownership was taken over by the Emperor Vespasian and there is record of its use during Hadrian. Around the last third of the second century A.D. it is presumed that M. Aurelius Iustus rented the workshop. The first well known owner of the workshop is Caius Laecanius Bassus. He and his son with the same name were consuls in 40 and 64 A.D. Each amphora had two stamps on the rim with the stamp of Laecanius at the centre and the second stamp, the vilicuss /estate manager stamp above the handle. There were very few amphora workshops which systematically applied two stamps to the products. Names of more than 40 vilici have been preserved in these stamps, thus providing a relative chronology for the Laecanius workshop. At the beginnings of the 20th century, Anton Gnirs unearthed the ruins of the workshop and the villa near the port. A hundred years later, new objects were found during construction work. The kilns were excavated recently. In addition the estate in Fažana, the remains of three other villas (Val Catena - Verige Bay, Monte Collisi -Kolci hill and Castrum) on the island of Brijuni were identified, these villas were also regarded as the property of the Laecanius family. The villas produced about 12,000 amphorae of olive-oil per annum. The volume of production can only be guessed at on the basis of the amphorae which were found in more than 50 sites in Cisalpina, Raetia, Noricum and Pannonia. The olive oil produced in the Laecanius workshop was of immense importance in Cisalpina and in the Northern areas of the Roman Empire. The Roman troops conquered Northern region continuously from the Augustan to the Claudian period. Olive oil was consumed by the Roman army and by the Roman settlers. The amphorae do not precede the Roman conquest in the Pannonian and Illyrian regions. The Laecanius amphorae provide important clues to the various phases of the Roman conquest in Pannonia. The new research allows an even more precise chronology of the Laecanius amphorae. The list of the stamps can be updated almost on a daily basis. By studying the entire collection of the objects in the Castrum villa, some of the remaining questions concerning the Laecanii and their properties may finally be answered.

The stated goal of the project is to publish the new Laecanius amphorae from the Castrum villa in Brijuni (Istria). The ancient sources Pliny, Martial, Pausanias and Cassiodor mention the excellence of Istrian olive oil. It was of immense importance in north Italy and in the northern provinces (Raetia, Noricum and Pannonia) of the Roman Empire. There are traces of oil and wine presses in several villas on the Istrian peninsula. The Roman proprietors cultivated, harvested, and processed the olives; they also had their own oil presses, storage cellars, and ceramic workshops. The workshops produced amphorae containing olive oil. The Laecanius family owned a workshop in Faana and villas in Brijuni Island. The Laecanius amphora had two stamps on the rim: that of the owner, Laecanius, and of the workshop manager. There are three known phases of the wokshop. From the middle of the first century B.C. to A.D. 78 it belonged to the Laecanius family. During the reign of Emperor Vespasian the last Laecanius died without an heir and the ownership was taken over by the Emperor. There are records of its use during Hadrian's reign. Around the last third of the second century A.D. it is presumed that M. Aurelius Iustus rented the workshop. The Castrum villa excavations unearthed about eight thousand well-identifiable objects. Upon examining the material, we found that: 1. We have to update our knowledge and prepare a precise chronology of the Laecanius and the Imperial amphorae, considering the number of new Laecanius amphorae that have been found in Italy, in Istria and in the provinces of the Roman Empire. The list of the 1500 stamps can be updated almost on a daily basis. In the petrological work, the geologists determined the type and the possible provenance of the raw materials of the amphorae, and reconstructed the technology used during production. 2. The huge quantity of amphorae allows us to investigate the trade of the Castrum villa. We rarely have the opportunity to analyze such a group of amphorae found in a relatively small area from the first century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. Brijuni, and more particularly the Castrum villa formed an important economic production centre from the middle of the first century BC to the first quarter of second century AD. We have less information concerning the following centuries, although the amphora finds indicate that the villa was continuously in use. In the increasingly troubled times in the late Roman period its inhabitants fortified the walls. Their activities were probably connected with the military, the fleet at Ravenna. A period of economic expansion followed and the quantity of imported amphorae increased dramatically, particularly wine, olive oil and fish sauces from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.