224 TANIA PANAgOU
distribution of their stamps, once more, beside the overwhelmingly wide scat-
tering of the stamps, one can identify specific export routes (see Table 9.5).
Cnidian stamps form the second biggest class of amphora stamps. They are
widely scattered, found in about 150 sites, and often in great numbers. They
show particularly great concentrations in Athens, Corinthia, Argolis, Euboea
and the Cyclades. We may, also, notice that the quantities of Knidian stamps
found in Cnidos are still very low, but this is just a matter of lack of extensive
excavation comparable to those at the large workshop sites at Thasos, or of
absence of relevant collections made from the area.
The picture that emerges from the distribution of the Coan stamps must be
handled with caution. It is a picture of an extremely wide distribution with a
balanced number of finds widely scattered (from roughly 100 sites), except for
Alexandria. But in the question of Coan trade, two main problems persist: first,
the low percentage of stamped Coan amphoras in relation to unstamped ones,
and second, the possibility that many of the finds registered as Coan may be
Milesian.
The distribution of Rhodian stamps is the broadest; it covers most parts of
the ancient world. Rhodian expansion greatly exceeded that of other produc-
tion centers. It is not only the huge total number of stamps (approximately
200,000), but also the vast number of find spots (over 300), which extend to
the edges of the ancient world. Of the approximately 300,000 amphora stamps
catalogued, almost two-thirds are Rhodian. There is no comparable figure for
the rest of the cities producing amphoras.
An impressive number of Rhodian stamps are located in the collections
of Alexandria (100,000), and their predominance extends to the Levantine
coast and Cyprus, to the whole trade route from Rhodes to Egypt. A mar-
ket split between Rhodes and Cnidos has been observed. And so this later
second-century phenomenon of Cnidian exports facing the Aegean and
Rhodian exports facing south has often been discussed in terms of Rome’s
actions (Rauh 1999 ; Finkielsztejn 2001 ).
Thasian stamps are reported from almost 150 sites. The vast majority of
Thasian stamps have been found on the island of Thasos itself. As in the case of
Samothrace discussed earlier, the large number of stamps found on the island
itself should not to be interpreted as evidence of massive local circulation of
stamped amphoras. On the contrary, the large number of stamped ampho-
ras found on Thasos is the result of long-term excavation and analysis of the
workshops producing Thasian amphoras. Unlike Rhodes and Cnidos, Thasos’
exported amphoras mainly trend to the Northern Aegean and the Black Sea
(see Tzochev, Chapter 10 in this volume).
As stated in the beginning of this essay, the ability to accurately date
Rhodian and Thasian stamps to certain periods makes it possible to con-
nect fluctuations in the volume of exports and imports to historical events.
But this topic goes beyond the analysis of the overall distribution of stamps