This particular form of late Roman amphora was first identified by Henry Robinson, in his 1959 publication of context groups of Roman pottery from the excavations of the Athenian Agora. This amphora came from his 'Group M', and had the catalogue number of 334 - hence it has become known as Agora M334. Paul Reynolds was the first to show that the type actually derived from the Levantine coast, specifically the area between 'Akko-Ptolemais and Tyre (Reynolds 2000), and indeed several kiln/workshop sites have been discovered in the coastal plain north of 'Akko. Since these sites demonstrate with certainty that these amphoras come from this area, we propose a new name that reflects its origin: Late Roman Amphora/'Akko-Ptolemais.

The body is a slender cone-shape, covered by wheel-rilling, tapering to a small flat base. There is a high neck and simple flanged rim. The handles are ridged, and form high arches although without coming to a point; they extend from the rim to the shoulder. Reynolds notes that these amphoras were common in levels of the fourth-fifth centuries CE in Beirut (Reynolds, 2000); they are also found at coastal sites in Israel as well as further afield: in the Sinai (Arthur & Oren, 1998), the Yassi Ada wreck off Bodrum (Bass & Van Doorninck, 1982), the Crypta Balbi, at Rome (Saguì & Manacorda, 1995), Arles and Marseille (Reynolds, 2005).

Agora M334, RB.AM.2

Achziv (Israel/Northern Coastal Plain)

Bat el Jebel (Israel/Northern Coastal Plain)

Horvat Masref (Israel/Northern Coastal Plain)