MARKETS, AMPHORA TRADE AND WINE INDUSTRY 251
century only two of them still functioned (Garlan 2004 –5). Although Thasian
exports continued, a recovery did not follow: the end of the industry came
later in the second century, when both the exploitation of the agricultural sites
on the island and the practice of stamping amphoras gradually came to an end
(Brunet 2004 : 85). This was a logical reaction to the loss of the most important
long-distance markets that in the past ensured Thasian wine producers a steady
demand for their product and a profitable enterprise.
Conclusion
For at least two centuries the island of Thasos regularly produced wine des-
tined for foreign markets, some at significant distances. It is still impossible
to quantify the absolute scale of this industry, but with the improvements
in the methodology suggested here it is possible to get a general idea about
its dynamics, and the allocation of sales to different markets. The results thus
obtained make good sense when explained with rational, profit-driven eco-
nomic behavior, and markets ruled by supply and demand. They also prompt
interdependencies between markets, even if not a part of the notorious ‘enor-
mous conglomeration,’ whose inexistence in antiquity has been a central argu-
ment for downplaying the role of market mechanisms (Finley 1973 : 22–3).
The present knowledge and methods do not allow us to study these interde-
pendencies as short-term reactions, but only to deduce them as trends, which
span several decades. Based on such trends I have suggested that the condition
of the Black Sea markets – the biggest regional outlet for Thasian amphoras –
affected both the production of Thasian wine and its sales in the Aegean. At
the same time, Thasian amphora exports to the Black Sea were dependent on
the situation in the Aegean in terms of political events, availability of funding,
trade routes, and trade in other commodities.
As stated at the beginning, this case study has taken a more optimis-tic approach to the evidence. But even a sceptic could hardly disagree
that the potential of Thasian amphora stamps goes far beyond what can
be deduced from this evidence with the current methods and knowl-
edge. Continuing the methodological discussion, increasing the database
of stamps, and improving the chronology are some ways to unlock more
of this potential. More archaeological data concerning the organisation of
amphora production is also required. Finally, Thasos is not an exceptional
case, but only a relatively well-documented one. Many amphora exporters,
some of which show comparable quantitative figures and distribution pat-
terns, will continue to raise doubts about whether we are dealing with ‘the
2% of exceptions’ (Cartledge 1998 : 14) or if production for the market and
macro-economic activity in Ancient Greece were far more common than
usually imagined.