Late Antique Connectivity: a Snapshot of Regional Trade in AD 472 Campania

This contribution provides a general picture of pottery circulating between the coast, the Campanian hinterland, and the Apennines in the second half of the fifth century. The published data from the excavations in Neapolis are matched with new unpublished evidence from the inland, in particular from many sites around Nola and a bath complex from the northern slopes of the Vesuvius, which has been excavated since 2007. The archaeological sites in the environs of the Vesuvius are especially relevant for this study, because they have been covered by the volcanoclastic deposits of the AD 472 eruption, hence providing a clear terminus ante quem for the chronology and a snapshot of the circulation of goods within a very narrow time frame. Moreover, this paper will focus on some micro-regional productions and their distribution within the Apennine region. Supported by archaeometric analyses, the study of these artefacts suggests new patterns of trade that move beyond traditional economic models.