New archaeometric data on Roman wine amphorae from Gallia Narbonensis. The pottery workshop at Lattara (Lattes, south France).

International audienceAmphorae used for storing and exporting wine were produced in number of pottery workshops located in Gallia Narbonensis (south France) from the Augustan period to the 4st. The shapes of most of these amphorae correspond to a regional pottery tradition consisting on globular or ovoid bodies with flat bases. However, some pottery centres also adopted and imitated Italic and Hispanic prototypes with pointed bases, which were produced simultaneously. The present study reports on new archaeometric research conducted on amphorae (Gauloise 1, 2, 3, 4, Dressel 1 and Dressel 2-4 types) and tableware from the pottery workshop located at Lattara (Lattes, Hérault). Although no pottery kiln has been recovered at this Roman settlement, the excavation of the southern area near the port provided a massive pottery dump dated to the 1st century AD. It consisted on fragments of amphorae mixed with adobe and bricks pertaining to kiln structures and a succession of clay deposits and layers of ash and charcoal. The chemical, mineralogical and petrographic composition of the pottery sherds was examined through XRF, XRD and thin section analysis. Provenance was investigated by comparing the geochemical composition of the pottery sherds with seven clayey sediments and two building materials. The study revealed that the Gauloise 1 and 4 (the former intended for local-regional diffusion and the second for large-scale trade) were the main amphora types produced at Lattara; tableware and building materials were also manufactured at this site while the local amphorae repertoire also included a few Gauloise 3 and Dressel 2-4; Specific technological processes involved in the pottery manufacture (i.e. raw materials processing and firing) were also determined. Furthermore, a few imports of Gauloise 1, 2, 3 and Dressel 1 types from other pottery workshops were also detected within the dump