Paulina Komar: Standardization in Ancient Wine Economy: Amphoras, Wine Tastes, & Trade Patterns

Standardization in ancient wine economy: amphoras, wine tastes and trade patterns Wine was among the main consumption goods in the Mediterranean during antiquity. Considering the estimated wine intake of the average Roman adult male at between 0,5 - 1 liter per day, it is clear that production and trade of wine must have been significant from an economic viewpoint. In this presentation I will focus on textual and archaeological sources providing evidence for when, in what forms and why standardization occurs in ancient wine economy, and also where it does not appear. Both material and non-material manifestations of standardization (and its lack) will be analyzed, such as container volumes, wine tastes and production methods, and finally trade patterns during the Principate and Late Antiquity.

This talk is cohosted by the SHC Workshop Standardization in Ancient Economies and the Stanford Classics Department.