Sea or land? Trade from the coast to the fringes of Campania

This contribution investigates and compares three Late Antique pottery assemblages in order to discuss trade and distribution from the bay of Neapolis to the fringes of Campania. The first site is in the modern town of Pollena Trocchia, on the northern flank of Mt. Vesuvius and in the ancient territory of Neapolis. The second is a villa near the city walls of Nola – the twin-city of Neapolis in the centre of the Vesuvian plain –, while the third site is Aeclanum (modern-day Mirabella Eclano), a Roman city on the Via Appia, a few miles from Beneventum. The three assemblages show a certain similarity in types and classes traded. African Red Slip Ware is well documented, as well as all typical productions of ancient Campania, both cooking ware and tableware. Nevertheless, a closer analysis of typology and fabrics highlights the presence of several production areas, some of which distributed in a short radius, while others traded across the entire region. The differences noted in distribution hint to the existence of a complex supply system.