Amphora handle, Birrens

Amphora handle, Birrens Very thick handle fragment with a solid oval profile. The clay is an oange matrix with coarser dark grains and larger inclusions. It tapers at one end, and was probably attached to the neck and shoulder of a large amphora vessel.   This example has a potter's thumb print in the centre. Amphorae were used to bulk transport goods such as olive oil, wine and garum (a fish sauce made by crushing the innards of fishes such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel and tuna, and fermenting them in brine).