The Contents of Ancient Graeco-Italic Amphorae. First Analyses on the Amphorae of the Filicudi F and Secca di Capistello Wrecks (Aeolian Islands, Sicily)

Abstract: The Graeco-Italic amphorae — types IV and V — (Van der Mersch 1994 classification) of Italic origins are considered as wine-amphorae, but no concrete tests for the presence of wine within them have existed until now. The recent re-examination of the cargos of the Filicudi F (300-280/250 BC) and Secca di Capistello (300-280 BC) wrecks (Aeolian Islands), within the Immensa Aequora project (www.immensaaequora.org), in collaboration with Museo Eoliano L. Bernabò Brea di Lipari, has made it possible to study these most-interesting wrecks, enabling for the first time the collection of new information on the area of the amphorae’ origins (Olcese 2010). Different types of samples have been taken in order to identify the content of the amphorae with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The amphorae were waterproofed by pitch from coniferous species and contained red wine.