Monte Testaccio is an artificial mound formed almost entirely from the remains of millions of amphorae. It is located in the port area of ancient Rome. It currently has a perimeter of almost one kilometre and a height of almost 50 metres above sea level. It has always attracted the attention of both the inhabitants of Rome and its visitors. One of the most popular hypotheses to explain the origin of its existence is the idea, proposed as early as the Middle Ages, that the mount is a state landfill consisting solely of amphorae that brought oil to the city from Andalusia (85%), North Africa (10%) and other Mediterranean provinces (5%). An excavation carried out since 1989 by a Spanish team, led by Professors Blázquez and Remesal, has provided an insight into this theory.

Where did the clay used to make the amphorae come from? What transformation processes did the clay undergo to become the raw material to make the amphorae? What pottery processes were used? Where did the potters who made them come from? What transformation processes were used on the amphorae to make them utilitarian? How were the amphorae brought to Rome? Where did they travel? How much did they cost once they arrived in Rome? Who used amphorae in everyday life? What were they used for? How were the amphorae destroyed once they had been stripped of their usefulness? How were the pieces moved to Testaccio? How was the mount built? Who built it?

There are many questions that a piece of broken pot raises, as many as the possibilities it offers us to imagine another interpretation of its existence.