- Glass Making in Roman Times
- Roman Wine: A Window on an Ancient Economy
- Roman Wine: Windows on a Lifestyle
- Fine Glassware in the Roman World
- Reuse of Images in the Art of Rogier van der Weyden
Order Restored
Late 6th century A.D.
Left: Spatheion amphora
Capacity: 5.85 liters [1.55 U.S. gallons]
Right: Carthage LRA4 amphora
Capacity: 13.9 liters [3.7 U.S. gallons]
In A.D.533 the dynamics of the wine trade changed again when general Belisarius routed the Vandal forces of king Gelimar, and so returned Carthage to the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The yoke of Roman authority and taxation was soon firmly back on the land, so heavier demands were put upon the African vineyards to create a consistent surplus. Thereafter, north African wines were traded without interference to the southern ports of Gaul, where they found a solid market among the Franks.
Palestinian wines gained some popularity in Egypt and Spain, and they too exported well to Gaul, there to be ranked for taste alongside some of the still respected wines of Italy. Rome's port of Ostia lay on some of the sea trading routes that linked the western bays of the Mediterranean, so the old capital could to some extent supplement the depleted wine resources of its own countryside with African and Palestinian vintages.