The remains of amphorae, found during excavations at the Bolshoi Kastel Estate, indicate that there were extensive trade connections between Chersonesus and various centers in Ancient Greece and the Northern Black Sea region. One such find was a stopper made from the toe of a pointed amphora. Such amphorae were used as the main type of container for sea transportation of important goods, primarily wine and olive oil. Almost every major center of export had its own unique shape of amphora, which differed from those used in other regions. The Chersonese chora, in particular, was dominated by local Chersonese amphorae. Expensive and renowned wines from the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods, such as Thasian, Chios, and Mendean, were rarely purchased there.
Amphorae with a long, almost conical shape of the toe came from Chios, which is one of the Greek islands situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The Soviet archaeologist Iosif Brashinsky studied the complexes of the Northern Black Sea region and grouped all amphorae with this type of toe into one category dating to the 4th century BCE. It is believed that amphorae from the beginning of that century still had a low pointed toe, with a small recess at the tip. It is the toe of a broken amphora that was adapted by the ancient inhabitants of the Northern Black Sea region to serve as a stopper for a small vessel.
Such a stopper could be used to seal a small jug with a narrow neck, no more than four centimeters in diameter. Among the varieties of these amphorae, the alabastron and the amphoriskos stand out. The alabastron is a small, elegant, elongated vessel with a shape of a pear and a rounded bottom, designed for storing aromatic oils and liquids. The amphoriskos is a “small amphora” used for storing aromatic and cosmetic oils.
At first, vessels were sealed with clay stoppers. However, this did not solve the problem of oxidation. Later, the Egyptians started using stoppers made of reed or foliage mixed with wet clay. The Greeks and Romans experimented with rags, wax, resin, and finally, cork, which is still used today.
