Harvard Art Museums > 1977.216.3037: Stamped Amphora Handle Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Stamped Amphora Handle , 1977.216.3037,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 14, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/290157. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1977.216.3037 Title Stamped Amphora Handle Classification Vessels Work Type handle Date 100-150 CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Hispania Period Roman Imperial period, Middle Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/290157 Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Technique Stamped Dimensions 6.1 x 9 x 4.5 cm (2 3/8 x 3 9/16 x 1 3/4 in.) Inscriptions and Marks stamp and inscription: II IVNI MELISSI / ET MELLISSE Provenance Recorded Ownership History Probably acquired by Henry W. Haynes in or near Rome, c. 1877. Bequest of Prof. Henry W. Haynes to Department of the Classics, 1912. Transfer from the Department of the Classics, 1977. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Bequest of Henry W. Haynes, 1912 Accession Year 1977 Object Number 1977.216.3037 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Thick fragment of an amphora handle featuring a stamp. The exterior of the handle is whitish-gray. Looking at the cross-section of the handle, it is possible to see the inner rim is red, while the majority of the inside fabric is dark gray. The diameter of the handle is about 4.5 centimeters. [J.Pesce 8/4/10] The amphora stamps of the Melissi family are found all over the western Mediterranean, in such frequency and extent as to suggest that they must have been one of the wealthiest and most productive families in Spain. The stamps of the "Two Iunii Melissi", giving forms of the names Melissus and Melissa, belonged to a firm owned by a husband and wife, or a brother and sister. They appear to have operated the firm in the first half of the second century CE. Around the end of the reign of Antoninus Pius, the business appears to have passed to L. Iunius Melissus, who was probably the son of both or one of them. The museum has an example of his stamps (1977.216.154). Commentary LIVE LIKE A ROMAN: DAILY LIFE OBJECT COLLECTION Amphorae handles were often stamped with the name of the family or company that shipped the goods inside. The stamp on this handle is of the Melissi family. Handles with their stamp have been found in numerous places in the western part of the Roman Empire, particularly Spain, suggesting that they were one of the wealthiest families in that area. It is believed that the company was owned by either a husband and wife or a brother and sister, since there is both a masculine and feminine form of the name on some of these stamps. The height of production for this firm was the first half of the second century CE, and it was ultimately passed to L. Iunius Melissus, their descendant. Most brick stamps were rectangular and made of bronze. The letters were often in all capitals, cast in raised relief. Stamps were used for marking a wide variety of materials, such as bricks, amphorae, tiles, lamps, and other ceramic vessels. Sometimes even bread was stamped. Though the Greeks were known to stamp tiles, most of the evidence for the rise of Roman stamps comes from the third century BCE. The stamp would usually name the maker or exporter of the product, as seen with the COSSINI EVTVCHIANI stamp in this collection. The name of the person is in the genitive case to show possession. This stamped amphora handle would have been made in the same way. The Arretine bowl in this collection has a different kind of stamp: a small foot in the center. This could be a trademark of a certain factory, and it would be of particular help to people who could not read. [Jessica Pesce 8/19/2010] Related Works 1977.216.154 Stamped Amphora Handle Vessels Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
