TRADE CONTACTS OF ROMAN DACIA Mateusz Żmudziński Knowledge about trade contacts in Roman Dacia ond group, part of the lamps wear the mark of is possible thanks to the foreign-made objects their producers: Fortis, Armeni, Ianuari, Cassi, which are discovered on this ancient territory dur- Flavi, Strobili, Crescens, Lucius, Atimeti, Titus ing archaeological digs. Among others, these are (Băluţa 1977, 209-227; Băluţa 1986, 441-446, enamelled and terra sigillata potteries, oil lamps, Gudea 1989, 447-448; Gudea 1996, 333/2). Their jewels, art works and amphorae. Part of the am- later local imitations are very diffi cult to distin- phorae could have been delivered to the military guish from the original models and testify of the camps as annonae militaris. But we know for sure elimination of imports by a local production (Cf. that, like in other provinces, there was a trade of Roman 2006, 545-553). some groups of products which did not leave ar- The next group of imported goods are luxury table chaeological traces. It is the case of glass products dishes. Among them enamelled pottery should be from Britannia which are often mentioned in writ- mentioned fi rst. Usually, they were thin-shelled ten sources but seldom found, even fragmentarily and covered with a yellow-green coloured enamel (Cool 2003, 139-143). Apart from these objects, (Gudea 1989, 446, 858/1-3; Benea 2004, 203- many inscriptions have been found on the Da- 217). They were imported in little quantities from cian territory that indicate the presence of foreign so far unidentifi ed workshops most probably situ- merchants from other regions of the empire. The ated in Western Europe. The terra sigillata pot- fl ourishing Dacian cities little by little became at- teries were much more numerous. They can be tractive economic centres, but also production dated with precision and show well the directions centres for goods exported to other provinces or of imports. As an important fact, D. Gabler who countries outside the empire. Such Dacian prod- has been studying the distribution of sigillates in ucts have been found in neighbouring countries. the different Roman provinces could establish that The development of local production also led to most probably, there existed two large markets for a decrease of the imports of goods which could this sector of trade, and maybe for other sectors be produced in Dacia (cf. Lipovan 1982-1983, too. The fi rst one was Gallo-Germanic, and the 227-232). This explains why traders who wanted second was the Danubian market. This searcher to develop their businesses turned to products observed that producers usually sold their arte- which could not have been made in Dacia. The facts on only one of these markets (Gabler 1985, provincial elites who were becoming wealthier 3-29). Products from the Pfaffenhofen workshops and the army offi cers represented a large group can be mentioned as a typical example: products of clients for luxury goods. The Romanised local from Dicanus’s workshop alone have been found people living in the cities also was eager to buy in the region of Lower Danube, where Helenius’s Mediterranean food products. It seems therefore products were completely absent. As for the ter- that the mere law of supply and demand deter- ra sigillata items discovered on the territory of mined the market (Temin 2001, 169-181). Roman Dacia, the best knows are the ones from Among the goods imported at fi rst to the territory the Northern regions of the province (Chirlă of the newly founded province, many oil lamps et al. 1972, 123; Isac 2001, 79-97; 98-112, 113- have been discovered. Part of them came togeth- 129). Among the imported smooth sigillates and er with the invading legions, but a large amount stamped potteries, a large majority of them come obviously were imported by traders. These are from central Gaul (50% of the items), and the rest sometimes volute oil lamps, but defi nitely more of identifi ed origin show as follows: 1% from Italy often so-called “fi rm lamps” which were produced (the earliest ones); 6% from Southern Gaul; 5% in Italy and in the Western provinces. In this sec- from Eastern Gaul and Germany; and more pre- Tyragetia, s.n., vol. III [XVIII], nr. 1, 2009, 285-292. 285 II. Materiale şi cercetări cisely 20% from Rheizabern; 11% from Western- Rome, and then farther to Aquilea and through dorf; and 3% from Pannonia (Isac et al. 1979; Isac the Danube should not be excluded either. 2001, 130-154; Rusu-Bolineṭ, 2004, 712-734). In Beside pottery, various food products also were Apulum, it has been established that 20% of the imported to Dacia. The discovered amphorae sigillates were imported from Rheinzabern, and testify of wine, olive oil and fi sh sauce imports. for comparison, 7% from Westerndorf. In Tibis- Amphorae fragments are well known in neigh- cum in the Banat, that is in the Southern part of bouring Pannonia. Items found in this region are the province, on the contrary, the part of products of different types, among others Dr. 6 and simi- from Westerndorf was much greater (up to 55%) lar types from Northern Italy, and were used to (Isac 1981), (e.g. COMITIALIS). The products transport oil and wine (Kelemen 1987, 3-45). Ar- from Westerndorf are found almost exclusively in chaeological digs have discovered Mediterranean the near neighbourhood of the Danube, and only amphorae (Pompei XXV) used for the export of occasionally in the North, which is actually lim- fruit, Spanish (Dr. 7-11) for fi sh sauces, Spanish ited to the centre of Dacia because these products or Italian (Dr. 38) for wine and aromatised wines, practically did not reach the far Northern border (Dr. 12) for different fi sh sauces from Betic, (Dr. of the province. In the Southern regions of Dacia, 20) for olive oil from the surroundings of Betic, in addition to the already mentioned ones, pot- (Dr. 16-17) for the transport of fi sh sauces and teries from Butovo and Pavlikeni in Lower Moe- wines from the surroundings of Betic, and some sia are also discovered. The last imports of sigil- of unidentifi ed origin (Kelemen 1990, 147-193). lates took place under the reign of the Antonine Amphorae from Eastern provinces have been dynasty. The great majority of the potteries came found too. Part of them (Scorpan VII) were used from Lezoux. They usually were produced by to export wine, which was largely delivered to the following workshops: IANVARIVS, SACER, the regions of Oltenia, Muntenia and Moldavia ATTIANVS, PAVLVS, ADVOCIVS, PATERNVS, (Kelemen 1993, 45-73). In the neighbouring Up- LAXTVCISSA. As for the potteries from Southern per Moesia, archaeologists found, among others, Gaul, they were most often produced by CINNAM- amphorae from Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, Ae- VS’s and ADVOCIS’s workshops. In Rheinzabern, gean region, Anatolia, Pontus and Africa (Bjelajac we know above all the producers REGINVS and 1996, 123). Thanks to A. Ardeţ’s long research, we IANVARIVS (Băluţa 1982-1983). Decorated pot- have now an extended knowledge on amphorae tery as well as the so-called smooth sigillates were exports to Roman Dacia (Ardeţ 2006, 13 et al.). also sold. The discovered items are of the follow- About 500 amphorae have been identifi ed on ing types: Curle 15, Drag. 15/17, 18/31, 33, 35, 42, his research territory. They were imported from Déch. 72, Drag. 37, 39. The transports of potteries Italy, Dalmatia, Betic, Lusitania, Gaul, Lower from far regions of the empire took place up to Moesia, Thrace, and Eastern and African prov- the middle of the 3rd Century, and then were al- inces, that is mainly from the Aegean islands, the most completely stopped in the times of the eco- Near East and Northern Africa (Ardeţ 2004, 330- nomic crisis. An example of the late import is a 341). In Italy, the Dacian population bought ol- vase which arrived from Augusta Treverorum to ive oil (amphorae Dressel 2-4, Dressel 6B), olives Porolissum in the last years of the province’s exis- (Schörgendorfer 558) and wine (Forlimpopoli) tence (Gudea 1993). It seems that for goods deliv- (Ardeţ 2001). It is possible that these transports ery, including that of sigillates, the transport pos- began before the foundation of the Dacian prov- sibilities were one of the main factors determining inces, and they continued up to the middle of the the products’ shapes. In the Western provinces, 2nd Century AD. In the 2nd Century AD, olive oil most of the items can be found along the rivers. was imported from Dalmatia (Portorecanati). This implies that the presence of waterways was Garum (Dressel 7, Dressel 11), olive oil and salted important for the distribution of these products olives (Dressel 20), and wine from reputed vine- (Cf. Oenbrink 1998, 146/1). It was certainly the yards (Metagallares I) were imported from Betic. case in Dacia too. The large amount of products Fish sauces also were imported from Lusitania from Lezoux and its surroundings seems to show (Dressel 14B and Almagro 50). Wine was trans- that they were transported through the Rhone – ported from Gaul in amphorae (Gauloise 4 and Rhine – Danube route. Transports through the Po Gauloise 5). From Lower Moesia, traders in the river, or possibly sea transport through Ostia and 286 M. Żmudziński, Trade contacts of Roman Dacia 2nd and 3rd Centuries mainly bought wine (Zeest (Dyczek 1999, 264-268). We can then consider 80, Zeest 94, Zeest 64, Zeest 92, Radulescu III a). that in the analysed period, Dacia was part of the Dacia was an olive oil provider (Knossos 18) and large economic and trade circuit of the empire.