381 REI CRETARIÆ ROMANÆ FAVTORVM ACTA 46, 2020 Dinogetia began most likely in pre-Roman times as a Getic settlement, as its name implies. Its occupation con- tinued throughout early, middle and late Roman times until the beginning of the 7 th century. It experienced its last habitation during the 10 th and 11 th centuries. The majority of archaeological material comes from the late Roman and Byzantine eras, the latter occupation already published (Ştefan et al. 1957; Ştefan et al. 1967). 2. Early Roman period 2.1. Local wine That the inhabitants of this settlement drank a wine made locally is demonstrated by the presence of table amphorae and table pitchers. Table amphorae usually have a globular body and a ring base with sturdy, rounded, twisted or strap-like handles (fig. 2, 1), while the table pitchers have a short, cylin- drical neck, a strap-like handle, and a conical body ending in a trapezoidal, tubular base (fig. 2, 2) (Ştefan et al. 1953: 264, fig. 24.1). It is worth noting that almost identical variants of table amphorae have been discovered in the vicinity at Troesmis (Opaiţ 1980a: 291-294, pl. I.1, 3-4), the headquarter of Legio V Macedonica, and the castrum of Barboşi (Sanie 1981: 137, pl. 13.5), suggesting a common officina that manufactured these vessels. However, the fabrics of the table pitchers are varied, thus suggesting a multitude of supply sources. 2.2. Imported wine An important place in this category is occupied by regional Pontic wines produced on either the southern or northern 1. Introduction It is well known that supplying the Roman army was a perpet- ual concern for the Roman government. The peace and pros- perity of the Empire was guaranteed by the fidelity of Roman troops, and preserving this loyalty could be done only through an efficient supply of troops with all their requirements. Some of these have been already inferred from written source and also from archaeological findings. Among these discoveries, amphorae occupy a privileged place as they have a robust manufacture and do not disappear as organic materials do. The great advance that took place during the last 50 years in understanding amphora typologies and chronologies allows us to have a better understanding of some of the supplies that reached the Lower Danube limes. The pottery studies of Dino- getia are an important addition to previous studies published on the pottery discovered at other sites in this area, particularly at Topraichioi (Opaiț 1991a), Murighiol (Opaiț 1991b; Topoleanu 2000), Troesmis (Opaiț 1980a; Opaiț 1980b), Ibida (Opaiț 1991d; Honcu 2017), Capidava (Opriș 2003; Opriș and Raţiu 2017), Tomis (Opaiț 1997/1998; Băjenaru 2013), and Ulmetum (Băjenaru, forthcoming). They also supplement studies on Ro- man pottery discovered in the lower Danube area (Rădulescu 1976; Scorpan 1977; Opaiț 2004a; 2004b; Paraschiv 2006). However, in comparison with most of these sites, Dinogetia, at least during the late Roman era, had reduced dimensions of c. 1,2 ha. It was founded on a small island at a strategic point where the Danube turns east towards the Black Sea and at the confluence of the river Siret and the Danube (fig. 1). Archaeological excavations began in 1939 and have continued with short periods of interruption until the modern day. Limited space allows us to present only a brief selection of the main containers that were used to supply this small fortress with both staples and luxury products. The authors present amphora discoveries made at Dinogetia during the last eighty years of excavations. The large quantities of ceramic material serve as a proxy for the wine, olive oil, and fish-based commodities imported to this remote fortress. It sheds new light on ancient supply modalities, which included both free trade and state-controlled provisions for the Roman troops stationed at Dinogetia. At the same time the results of this study can be extrapolated to many other small fortresses on the lower Danube and have good parallels at Iatrus, Capidava, and Murighiol. If for the large variety of vintage wine and fish-based products we can infer a private trade, for olive oil, especially in the later Roman period, we may infer the activities of the annona militaris. The presence of these imports until the very end of this fortification shows that the imperial authorities paid good care to the limitanei, which were not simply paysan-soldiers but active and efficient defenders of the Roman frontier. Annona militaris – Dinogetia – wine – olive oil – fish-based products – amphorae SUPPLYING WINE, OLIVE OIL AND FISH PRODUCTS TO THE LOWER DANUBE FRONTIER (2 ND -7 TH CENTURY AD): THE CASE OF DINOGETIA Andrei Opaiț, Alexandru Barnea†, Iuliana Barnea, Bianca Grigoraș & Ioana Potra ISSN: 0484-3401 ISBN: 978-1-78969-748-3 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.32028/9781789697483-38