Taco Terpstra

“This is for a high-end market, which is one reason why Cicero talks about these.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra explained that the pottery from the shipwreck was intended for a high-end market, which is why Cicero references such ceramics in his writings.

“the equivalent of fine china”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra described the ceramics recovered from the ancient shipwreck as comparable to modern fine china.

“This is not the kind of stuff that ordinary Romans would have on their table.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra distinguished the luxury ceramics from the shipwreck as items not typically owned by ordinary Romans.

“It's unusual that we have so much of this type of ceramic,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra told Fox News Digital that the discovery of ancient ceramics from a 2,100-year-old shipwreck offers an unusual opportunity to connect artifacts with historical writings.

“This is not ordinary tableware,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra emphasized that the recovered ceramics were not ordinary tableware used by common Romans.

“I imagine they meant unfired soft clay, which, when the ship went down, preserved the ceramics to a very high degree,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra suggested that clay packed between the ceramics in wooden crates may have been unfired soft clay that helped preserve the remarkably well-preserved dishes.

“It's quite rare for all of it … [all] the lines of evidence to come together, like monetary, archeological, literary,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09

Terpstra noted that while Roman shipwrecks in the Mediterranean are common, the convergence of monetary, archaeological, and literary evidence makes this find exceptional.

“The main transportation network of the Roman Empire is maritime,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra said the main transportation network of the Roman Empire was maritime.

“Rome is the center of the empire. This is where power lies,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra said Rome remained the center of political, military and ideological power for centuries.

“That is really where the major connectivity lies.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra said the major connectivity of the Roman Empire lay in maritime transportation.

“But once Constantinople becomes de facto the capital of the empire, it is clear that it attracts a lot of overland connectivity.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra said Constantinople attracted a lot of overland connectivity once it became the capital.

“So, we have to be careful a little bit about what time period we’re looking at.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra cautioned about being careful regarding which time period is being examined.

“This is where the emperor is. This is where the Senate is. ... [It was the] largest city in the empire, a million inhabitants.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra noted Rome was where the emperor and Senate were and was the largest city in the empire.

“was only created as such in the fourth century.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra noted that Constantinople was only created as a capital in the fourth century.

“about as straight as the Romans could make them”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra commented on the straightness of Roman roads given the technology available at the time.

“Before that, it was a sleepy fishing town called Byzantium,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra explained that Constantinople was previously a fishing town called Byzantium.

“The roads in the first instance, and it’s often forgotten, were military infrastructure,”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra said Roman roads were initially military infrastructure, which is often forgotten.

“These were in the first place, after the conquest, intended to move troops quickly.”

Taco Terpstra · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22

Terpstra explained that roads were intended to move troops quickly after conquest.