[wildbill]

Fascinating. Since we know that there were lots of traders in Rome dealing with oil and other goods that were transported in amphorae, you have to wonder how and why they all began to ditch their used amphorae in this one location.

I have an image of Caesar scuffing an X with the toe of his boot and saying something like, “All right, listen up! I’m tired of walking around the forum and seeing all these empty freakin’ jars. From now on, you guys are gonna dump ‘em here or else. As to refuse, this is an offer you can’t refuse. Get it? Refuse. Awright, settle down. Dismissed!”

[SunkenCiv]

The jars were cheap, and were labeled, and so didn't get reused too often, except as ostraca (the ancient world's Post-Its™). The systematic way of stacking them suggests that this was the mandatory trash site, the town dump as it were.