Stamped Rhodian Amphora from the British Museum: A New Eponym-Fabricant Couple

Authors : Erkan Alkaç, Handegül Canlı

Pages : 217-227

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Publication Date : 2024-06-13

Article Type : Other

Abstract :Within the British Museum’s collection resides a complete stamped Rhodian amphora preserved in its entirety. On one handle of this amphora, the name of the eponym Ἀγέμαχος (c. 181/179 BC) with the month name Θεσμοφόριος is inscribed, while the other handle bears the name of the fabricant Νικαγίς (c. 184 – c. 144 BC). Until the publication of this article, the connection between the eponym Ἀγέμαχος and the fabricant Νικαγίς was unknown. Herein, we present for the fi rst time to the scholarly community, the relationship between the eponym and the fabricant. Amphorae with both handles preserved and bearing stamps elucidate the relationship between the eponyms and the fabricants. Identifying the eponyms associated with a fabricant is crucial for determining the activity period of the fabricant. Th is, in turn, aids in ascertaining the number of years a fabricant was active in amphora production. Moreover, establishing the association between an eponym and a fabricant is of signifi cance for research on amphora stamps. Th is article aims to identify the names of the eponym and the fabricant on the stamps located on the two handles of a Rhodian amphora in the British Museum collection and to date these are based on the fi ndings. Due to the eponym Ἀγέμαχος, dated to c. 181/179 BC, the years c. 184 – c. 144 BC have been proposed for the dates when the producer Νικαγίς was active. Th e stamps on the handles of the subject amphora are pivotal in revealing a hitherto unknown connection between the eponym and the fabricant.
Keywords : British Museum, Rhodes, amphora, amphora stamp, eponym, fabricant