Amphoras and the Archaeology of Ancient Economies
(8th through 1st Centuries BC)
Part 3 THESSALONIKI: Regional Production – Regional Circulation: Amphoras
and Aegean Communities
Thessaloniki, 10-11 October 2025

Recent decades have seen a great expansion of attention to the production, distribution and consumption of transport amphoras throughout the Mediterranean. This expansion is
due in part to the encouragement of the PATABS conferences, the welcoming setting of
the IARPotHP conferences, where an increasing number of papers are concerned with
amphoras, and the amphora-focused conferences in Athens (2004, 2010) and Berlin (2018). In addition, it is worth noting the increasing frequency with which articles related
to amphoras appear in Turkish journals and the acts of regional archaeological conferences in Greece. The breadth of fabric analyses coupled with typological research on pre-Roman amphoras in the western Mediterranean has likewise inspired new research questions and led to radical reconsideration of amphora studies from Corinth westward as far as the gateway to the Atlantic. The FACEM website has played a crucial role in this process.

New research methods in terrestrial and underwater fieldwork, as well as archaeometric
and computational analyses, have increased knowledge of amphora production techniques, distribution logistics and consumption patterns. Against this backdrop of progress, we are proposing a series of two-day conferences bringing together researchers to share new discoveries, address broader long-standing issues, and explore new paths for future studies.

Thessaloniki (Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki)
October 10-11, 2025

This conference is the third of three such meetings (Istanbul, Rome and Thessaloniki) to highlight new research programs and attendant issues arising in each region. The region of
the Thermaic Gulf has provided vital evidence for early amphora production and trade in
the Aegean. This third conference, with its focus on the Aegean world, thus fittingly takes
place at an epicenter of Aegean amphora production and trade! The conference will feature two days of papers (October 10-11), and one day of excursion (October 12) to view
amphoras in the Archaeological Museum of Pella and the Visitable Museum Store in
Makrygialos, Pieria.

We propose five main topics for the conference:
1. Early Iron Age and Early Archaic storage and shipping containers
2. Aegean amphora production and technology studies
3. (Micro-)regional trade systems in the Aegean world
4. Stamping practices and other amphora markings in the Aegean world
5. Cargoes and shipping in the Aegean and beyond (8th-1 st c. BC)

For each theme, we have arranged one or two keynote papers of 30 minutes, but we invite
proposals for 15 to 20-minute papers to address specific topics related to these areas of
research. Please complete the Google Forms document HERE including a title and
abstract (no more than 250 words) by June 15, 2025.

While a significant goal of all three meetings is to bring people together, to share ideas and
develop lasting collaborations, we understand that travel is not possible for all interested
participants. The conference will be set up for hybrid participation so that some papers
can be delivered remotely and the proceedings may be followed online.
The main language of the conference is English. While we encourage the use of English
in presentations for widest accessibility to participants, presentations in Greek, German or
French (with PowerPoint text in English) are welcome. The papers from this meeting and
the meetings in Istanbul and Rome will be gathered into one volume for publication, likely
in 2026, in a venue to be determined.

Questions? Please contact the Organizing Committee at: [email protected]

The Organizing Committee:
Kostas Filis, Hellenic Ministry of Culture – Ephorate of Antiquities of Chalcidice and Mt. Athos
Sabine Huy, Hamburg University
Berslan Korkut, Koç University
Mark Lawall, University of Manitoba