From the early Roman period (Augustan to Hadrian times), Istria (North Adria, Croatia) was one of the most important sites for the production of olive oil. The oil was transported in the traditional Dressel 6B amphorae to north Italy and the provinces of Noricum, Raetia and Pannonia.

Les études du mobilier céramique se font en collaboration de plus en plus étroite entre archéologues, historiens et archéomètres : on est passé de la simple prestation de service d’un laboratoire d’archéométrie, demandée par un céramologue, lequel cherchait la confirmation d’une hypothèse à propos d’une production, à un véritable dialogue entre les disciplines dans une optique plus large, relevant aussi bien du paléoenvironnement que des techniques et de l’économie.

The Pax Romana, instituted during the period of the emperor Augustus, was the primarily condition for both general societal progress and economic production. The individuals who were mainly involved in economic production and commerce, most often belonged to the senatorial and equestrian classes and also maintained control over the production of amphorae.