La céramique africaine, un indice du développement économique ?

The lack of recently excavated rural sites in North Africa over the last 30 years has led to reliance on the testimony of African pottery and amphorae as indicators of economic growth. Regarding the most common agricultural products of Roman Africa attested by pottery, too much importance has perhaps been accorded to olive oil. It is true that several types of African amphorae carried olive oil (type Africana I), but most of them did not. Some were devoted to the transport of salted fish or garum, and others to the commercialisation of African wine (type Keay 25 ?). It also appears that African Red Slip Ware cannot be positively linked to olive production and did not usually travel with amphorae cargoes. Consequently, is it not better to consider that African Red Slip Ware travelled with the most voluminous export of Roman Africa, that is, cereals? [Author]