Ostras y vino en la ciudad hispanorromana de Baelo Claudia

Abstract

Oyster remains in Roman archaeological layers in Circle of the Strait sites is a constant, from the beginning of the Roman conquest up to the Late Antiquity. Oyster-farming evidences are reported in Iulia Traducta (modern Algeciras) in V c. A.D. contexts. The shell remains importance in the context of the fishing and fish-processing activities is an element known in Baelo Claudia’s roman city by diverse sources. In this work we present beforehand the first information of an archaeological dig carried out in the year 2009 in the oriental wall of this hispano-roman city, in which there have been exhumed several structures of imperial times. Among them, a context dating back to the mid of the I c. A.D. was brought to light. It contained dozens of oysters and other shell remains attesting the alimentary importance of such marine products in the city. We discuss the archaeological context of the finding, interpreted as food waste of a convivium or banquet, as well as a series of historical inferences related to the consumption and gastronomic importance of oysters in this important Roman city of the Strait of Gibraltar, focused on the exploitation of marine resources.