From Hispania Tarraconensis (NE Spain) to Gallia Narbonensis (S France). New data on Pascual 1 amphora trade in the Augustan period

• Pascual 1 amphorae depict the rise of the Tarraconensis (Catalan) wine production.
• They were mainly intended to supply Gallic markets via maritime trade.
• Archaeometric analyses were performed on representative amphorae of two cargos.
• Most amphorae were produced nearby the two main port cities of Central Catalonia.

The importance of wine trade between Roman provinces in the North-Western Mediterranean during the Augustan period is evidenced by several shipwrecks found along the coasts of Catalunya and Southern France. Among them are the Cap del Vol (Port de la Selva) and Els Ullastres (Palafrugell) shipwrecks, located near the northern coast of Catalunya, which are supposed to trade wine in Pascual 1 amphorae from Hispania Tarraconensis to Gallia Narbonensis. Type Pascual 1 was the most widely produced and the one that lasted longer among the amphorae used to transport Tarraconensis wine.In the framework of our recent research on inter-provincial maritime trade in the Early Roman Empire, we will present the results of the archaeometric study of 40 Pascual 1 amphorae from the two shipwrecks, aimed at identifying the workshops of origin within the Tarraconensis province. Provenance investigation was based on chemical analysis by XRF and thin section analysis. Besides, XRD and SEM–EDS analyses were also carried out in order to identify secondary mineral phases and alteration processes taking place during deposition in the maritime environment, which must be considered to establish valid chemical reference groups. The results have been compared with the large analytical database on amphora productions from many workshops of the Tarraconensis province available at the ERAAUB.The archaeometric study revealed that Pascual 1 amphorae from both shipwrecks were produced in specific workshops placed on the Central Catalan coast, near the main Roman cities of Baetulo (Badalona) and Iluro (Mataró). This result points to the important role of these two cities in the economic expansion of Tarraconensis during the Augustan period.