This chapter considers the evidence for the Type B and Type C reuse of amphorae, that is, the reuse of unmodified and modified amphorae, respectively, for applications other than that of packaging container. These two types of reuse are here treated together, as in many cases both unmodified and modified amphorae were employed in similar ways for similar purposes.

Used amphorae must have been available in many parts of the Roman world in what were effectively inexhaustible numbers, and often must have represented something of a nuisance, as in many cases they could not be reused for the packaging of foodstuffs or other substances, in some cases they gave off noxious odors, and they could be disposed of only with the investment of a certain amount of effort. Often they must have been offered either free of charge or at some token cost to any and all who wished to have them. Given these circumstances, it is to be expected that people came to employ used amphorae and amphora parts for a variety of purposes aside from that of packaging container. Amphorae were manufactured in a wide array of shapes and sizes, some with capacities of as much as 150 l, and some more than a meter in height; they were rigid, resilient, and, in most cases, reasonably light; and they could hold liquids, unconsolidated solids, and solid objects of modest dimensions.