the first type of roman amphora, dressel 1, appears in central italy in the late 2nd century bc. this type had thick walls and a characteristic red fabric. it was very heavy, though also strong. around the middle of the 1st century bc the so-called dressel 2–4 starts to become widely used. this type of amphora presented some advantages in being lighter and with thinner walls. it has been calculated that while a ship could accommodate approximately 4,500 dressel 1, it was possible to fit 6,000 dressel 2–4 in the same space. dressel 2–4 were often produced in the same workshops used for the production of dressel 1 which almost suddenly ceased to be used. at the same time in cuma (southern italy) the production of the "" type starts (dressel 21–22). these containers were mainly used for the transportation of fruit and were used until the middle imperial times. at the same time, in central italy, the so-called spello amphorae, small containers, were produced for the transportation of wine. on the adriatic coast the older types were replaced by the lamboglia 2 type, a wine amphora commonly produced between the end of the 2nd and the 1st century bc. this type develops later into the dressel 6a which becomes dominant during augustan times.