THREE AMPHORA STAMPS FROM TYMNOS (BOZBURUN, TURKEY): A CASE STUDY REGARDING PROVENANCE

The objective of the paper is to explain and suggest about the three stamped amphora handles which were recorded at the site of Kaletepe that is considered to be the demos center of ancient Tymnos. The interpretation of field data is based on the widely accepted chronological span of the Rhodian trade amphorae. Despite the lack of an eponym or an accompanying month name on the stamps, they broadly allow the dates to between 256-86 B.C. It is conceivable, for the present, that Tymnos was one of the trade nexus of the Peraia. The contributory role of this demos in the trafficking of Rhodes across the Mediterranean becomes clear as it can be better understood through the availability of the amphora stamps. Also, plenty of fragmentary canonical forms, that were come across all over Kaletepe can be valuable to add to our knowledge about the short-range origins and extent of circulation of the merchantable products in the periphery of Hellenistic Rhodes. Owing to the uncertainty about his provenance and the nuances in the linguistic clues, the name of Imas appears to be rather conspicuous, hence can be highlighted as an indicator of a policy oriented toward “glocalization”, in our mini data set. The verisimilitude of his localness (presumably, a non-Rhodian/ Peninsular fabricant) is suggestible while the remaining names also deserve an emphasis for manifesting the Peraia’s role in the well-developed market of the Island. Inferentially, Tymnos is deemed to contain the potential evidence to unveil new names which can help gain further insight about the dynamic commercial life led by a major actor of the Hellenistic era, simply Rhodes.