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The Ospringe cemetery provides an unusual example in Kent of
the large scale re-use of amphorae as cremation urns. These were not
available for study, but it may be deemed probable that the majority were
Dressel 20 South Spanish types: five vessels, all globular, were recorded
at the nearby Faversham villa (Philp 1968, 82), and the form is also known
at Radfield (Baxter and Mills 1978) and Brenley Corner (unpublished). Some
of the Ospringe vessels are described as ‘wine amphorae’ (Whiting
1921, 1923, 1925, 1926; Whiting et al. 1931), perhaps reflecting
the misunderstanding of the contents of Dressel 20 that was
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current at that time (cf. Peacock 1978). Thirty-eight instances of amphorae
in funerary contexts were recorded at Ospringe, a cemetery founded in the
mid-second century and in use until at least the early fourth century. One
of these is probably of Tintagel B iv ware (Whiting et a!. 1931, no.
502; see Peacock 1977d, 298), associated with a second-century glass vessel
and a necked roll-rim jar of second- to fourth-century type. Other instances
of Dressel 20 in funerary contexts include two from the Lockham walled
cemetery to the south-east of Maidstone (Smythe 1883; Jessup 1959)
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