The Amphora | History Preserved
Few materials can withstand the ravages of time. Copper and bronze corrode. Glass shatters. Textiles, baskets, and wooden artifacts crumble and decompose. So many remnants of the past are long lost, whether they have returned to the earth or the sea. Unlike so many other materials, however, pottery is steadfast. Whether uncovered by windblown desert sands, excavated from dark, rich soils, or discovered at the bottom of the ageless seas, pottery reveals glimpses into the lives, tastes, and values of some of the earliest peoples, but also many people today. As with any medium, the shape into which the clay is formed remains key to its strength and survival through time, and of all the myriad of forms that pottery has taken, one is stronger and more resilient than the others: the amphora.
The details of the amphora morph subtly through time, and they depend on purpose and place. Each of these handcrafted vessels stored and transported valuable resources, such as olive oil and wine, the lifeblood of the ancient Mediterranean economies. Though they vary in shape and size over time, they all share broad, swelling shoulders and a tapering body. Most amphorae have two handles that stretch from the shoulder to the neck, or mouth, of the vase. Although some amphorae are discovered with flat bases (so they can stand upright on a flat surface) more well known are the amphorae with pointed or rounded bases. These transport amphorae bore rare and precious products across the seas onboard ships: the pointed bottoms allowed the vases to lean against one another, both stabilizing and supporting each other throughout the long journey from port to port. Together, their forms nested into the curved hull of the ship.
The very form of the vessel itself is protective, created with purpose and intention: the transportation of its contents depend on the strength, durability, and resilience of the earthenware container. On its own and in any other form, the pottery could not accomplish this task so well. Just as we cannot truly thrive on our journey through life alone, so too the amphora relies on those around it for support during its maritime voyage. It is only by relying on the presence and weight of those around it, and the gently sloping walls of the ship’s hull, that the vase can bear its valuable cargo to distant lands.
We are afforded a rare glimpse into the contents of these ancient seafaring vessels when fate, the stars, and the seas align. After all, the sea holds many gifts and many secrets. Many of her treasures – iridescent pearls, bright coral, and spiraling shells – are offered up to us along undulating shorelines and sandy beaches, but they are also tucked away, hidden rewards for our curiosity and daring exploration of craggy cliffs and deeper waters. It is in these remote areas that the sea has safeguarded for us some of the greatest treasures: preserved remnants of our own history. In stunningly rare instances, the sea has saved sunken ships and their cargo.
Such was the case for a sponge-diver who happened upon a startlingly well-preserved shipwreck off the southern coast of Turkey. The Uluburun shipwreck is more than 3,000 years old (dating to the Bronze Age), and the site’s artifacts are not both diverse and surprisingly well preserved. Among these artifacts are nearly 150 amphorae, the largest single collection of amphorae recovered from any shipwreck. Many of them were found with sealed lids, which solved one of the many mysteries from the Bronze Age: what was used to seal containers before cork? These vessels revealed that dried figs were mashed, creating a sticky paste that was used to coat the edge of the ceramic lid and/or the interior rim of the amphora before the vessel was closed, which dried to form an airtight and watertight seal. Because of this paste and the shape and resilience of the amphorae themselves, the precious liquids carried within them were not only present but still preserved. After thousands of years, these stalwart vessels laid quietly on the sea floor, draped in sand, safeguarding their now-priceless contents.
Olive oil and wine, two of the most important trade goods in the ancient world, were being carried to distant shores in some of the Uluburun amphorae. Other vessels, however, bore surprises. Because these amphorae preserved elements of the past so well, many of these jars contain large amounts of exceptional substances, especially organic goods – things which under almost any other circumstances decompose over time. One amphora preserved evidence for both the largest species of olives in the ancient world and the largest amount of olives found in one place. Another held olive oil with pomegranates submerged inside of it: rinds, some of the fruit, leaves, and twigs. By soaking pomegranates – particularly the rinds – in olive oil, the distinctive scent of olive oil is stripped away, transforming a culinary staple into an odorless carrier oil for valuable perfumes or cosmetics. Still other amphorae contained different rare goods that are long lost on land: capers, safflower, almonds, cardamom, coriander, and even pine resin, among many others. These precious materials were each used in many ways by ancient people, from divine offerings, to medicines, to luxurious elements of cuisine, and they were treasured not only for the wealth that they reflected, but for their versatility. Magic, medicine, and food were all intertwined, drawing on deeply rooted knowledge of the earth, the sea, the seasons, and their gifts.
Despite carrying exotic, highly valuable contents, the nature of the amphora itself lies in its earthen fabric. The vessel that bears some of the most highly prized ingredients is itself made from earth, water, and fire. The humblest materials of the earth are alchemized by human hands to create something that can withstand the erosional passage of time, the pressure of the ocean, and the darkest layers of the earth. From within the same soils that gift us the clay for pottery comes something smaller, shining and glittering. Although far rarer, gold grounds us, reminds us of our eventual return to the earth and at once begs us to look skyward, to our glittering origins among the stars. The golden amphora at once invokes both our connection to the earth and to our boundless energetic potential as individuals borne of the stars.
What you preserve and protect reveals what you value. The choice to use the amphora – a timeless, trusted earthen form – for the storage, preservation, and transportation of such commodities belies the importance of each one of those goods. So too do our values guide what we carry and bear forth into the world: trust, empathy, compassion, ambition, curiosity. Like the amphora, we are at once vessels and protectors, not only cultivating the good we wish to see and be. Like the amphora, we are at once both individuals and reliant on the support of those around us to make the voyage through turbulent waters, to complete our journey, and to reach port safely, together, intact. As the amphora remains a symbol of the long, interconnected and enduring heritage that we all share, so too does it remain a reminder of the legacies gifted to us from those who came before. We are entrusted to protect not only our diverse heritages, also the traditions, the lineages, and the sacred knowledge and wisdom that has been shared with us. Let the golden amphora pendant be a steadfast reminder of our dual natures: although we are of the earth, we are also children of the stars.
