262 MARK L. LAWALL
an economic system that clearly placed great importance on the management
(allowing or prohibiting entry) and taxation of goods entering a port or mar-
ket (Stanley 1976 ; Bissa 2009 ; Capdetrey and Hasenohr 2012 ), the jars made
accounting relatively straightforward.
The use of amphora stamps could also fit into this paradigm of container-
ization. One stamp can easily stand for large batches if the intention is simply
to indicate point or ‘person’ of origin: the general shape of the stamped one
should roughly match the others in the batch. But one stamp cannot stand for
a batch if the precise or even minimal measurement is being certified by the
stamp (cf. Finkielsztejn 2006 ; 2012 ): How could one know if the non-stamped
jars also met the prescribed level of certification? An exception, yet one which
highlights this point that the stamps are to be read alongside the shape, are the
stamped amphoras of Acanthus (Garlan 2006 ). Here, the stamps specify the
approximate modular size of the amphora, and an inspector or merchant could
again work from the stamped to the non-stamped amphoras counting those of
the same module as differentiated by shape.
Greater precision in the standardization of jars, as Philippa Wallace Matheson
and Mac Wallace ( 1982 ) have shown to be the case for Hellenistic Rhodes,
would certainly improve the link between jar counts and amounts of goods
in question (see also Wallace 2004 ). This development might indicate a change
in the structure and expectations of port-side activity with less acceptance of
basic counting and greater interest in measurement. In such a scenario, the
combination of the stamp, the distinctive jar shape, and presumably a spread-
ing reputation for precision of capacity would make Rhodian amphoras more
attractive to a wider range of merchants and consumers. Indeed, these benefi-
cial features, all of which fit very well with Grassl’s discussion of the ontology
of brands ( 1999 ), would have also facilitated the use of Rhodian amphoras in
retail sales where precision of measurement would seem more important. But
if we start thinking of the Rhodian amphora as branded packaging, it is still
important to bear in mind the problems with the Coca-Cola bottle analogy.
The contents of the Rhodian amphora were not a standard commodity of
fixed, predictable quality. The mason jar, with its standardized size, reliable clo-
sure system, and ability to hold various commodities for storage or sale, is the
better analogy.Amphoras as Containers for Storage
This analogy of the mason jar also raises the matter of the amphora as a
storage container. The possibility for long- or short-term storage of goods
in amphoras provides sellers (whether they be the original producers of
the goods or subsequent merchants) with greater choice as to when and
where to enter the market; this element of choice is fundamental to the