Vada Volaterrana: a Comparison of Roman Harbors and Their Place Within Mediterranean Connectivity
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VADA VOLATERRANA: A COMPARISON OF ROMAN HARBORS AND THEIR PLACE WITHIN MEDITERRANEAN CONNECTIVITY by Sara Spatafore April, 2017 Director of Thesis: Frank Romer, PhD Major Department: Department of History, Maritime Studies Program This thesis focuses on the site of Vada Volaterrana in modern day Tuscany in the context of its Mediterranean connectivity. In this study, Mediterranean connectivity in the ancient Roman world addresses how harbor sites interacted with their hinterlands and other coastal sites. To analyze Vada Volaterrana’s place within the Roman world I compare it to other harbor sites, large and small, through a diachronic approach that addresses technological advancements and economic prosperity. Though it is a smaller harbor complex, larger sites are used for comparison to juxtapose the differences between urban and rural settlements and their roles within the Roman world. It also highlights the discrepancy between our knowledge of small and large port systems. Vada Volaterrana is an example of a small harbor complex that served the needs of its hinterlands. I propose that Vada is an example of the norm in the ancient Roman world. Harbors were small to moderate in size and accommodated similarly sized vessels. Despite this, Vada Volaterrana shares technological and economic trends with other Roman sites which reflects the idea that harbors were centers of culture and trade. By sharing this study, I hope to inspire an interest in Mediterranean connectivity leading to studies regarding the functionality of smaller Roman harbor sites. VADA VOLATERRANA: A COMPARISON OF ROMAN HARBORS AND THEIR PLACE WITHIN MEDITERRANEAN CONNECTIVITY A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Maritime Studies by Sara Spatafore April, 2017 © Sara Spatafore, 2017 VADA VOLATERRANA: A COMPARISON OF ROMAN HARBORS AND THEIR PLACE WITHIN MEDITERRANEAN CONNECTIVITY by Sara Spatafore Approved By: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: Frank Romer, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Bradley Rodgers, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: David Stewart, Ph. D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Anthony Papalas, Ph. D. CHAIR OF THE DEPARMENT OF HISTORY: Christopher Oakley, Ph. D. DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: Paul Gemperline, Ph. D. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my friends and family for their continued support. Thank you to my mother whose enthusiasm has been a driving force in my life. Thank you to Tyler for your positive outlook and encouragement. I am thankful the ArcheoData Società Cooperativa allowed me to study Vada Volaterrana for my thesis. I would also like to thank Katia Schörle for her work on Roman harbor sites throughout Italy and North Africa. Finally, I greatly appreciate the members on my committee and thank them for their time. To my committee advisor Dr. Frank Romer, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and guidance. I could not have done this without you. Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction ...........................................................................................................1 Mediterranean Connectivity.................................................................................................2 Chapter Two: Timeline of Use ....................................................................................................10 A General History of Roman Period Harbors ....................................................................10 The Italian Peninsula..........................................................................................................16 Ostia and Portus ....................................................................................................16 Puteoli ....................................................................................................................22 Cosa .......................................................................................................................25 Caesarea Maritima .............................................................................................................28 North Africa .......................................................................................................................32 Vada Volaterrana ...............................................................................................................34 Chapter Three: Harbor Technology ..........................................................................................39 Brief history of harbor technology in the Mediterranean ..................................................39 The Vitruvian Building Method.........................................................................................40 The Italian Peninsula..........................................................................................................47 Ostia and Portus ....................................................................................................47 Puteoli ....................................................................................................................54 Cosa .......................................................................................................................55 Villas and Other Small Harbors ............................................................................61 Caesarea Maritima .............................................................................................................63 North Africa .......................................................................................................................71 Vada Volaterrana ...............................................................................................................74 Chapter Four: Economy of Harbors ..........................................................................................81 Brief Introduction on Roman Economy .............................................................................81 The Italian Peninsula..........................................................................................................85 Ostia and Portus ....................................................................................................85 Cosa .......................................................................................................................93 Caesarea Maritima .............................................................................................................97 North Africa .......................................................................................................................99 Vada Volaterrana .............................................................................................................100 Chapter Five: Discussion ...........................................................................................................109 References Cited.........................................................................................................................115 List of Figures Figure 1. Harbor sites in the Italian peninsula, courtesy of the Campvs Website. ........................16 Figure 2. Map of Caesarea Maritima, courtesy of Holy Land Photos. ..........................................28 Figure 3. Harbors along the North African Coast (Stone 2014). ...................................................32 Figure 4. North coastal Etruria (Pasquinucci et al. 2008:379). ......................................................34 Figure 5. North African mosaic depicting a beached vessel (Houston 1988:561). .......................39 Figure 6. Reconstruction of formwork for setting hydraulic concrete (Oleson et al. 1984: 297). .41 Figure 7. View of Ostia (Keay 2005:42). ......................................................................................48 Figure 8. Access to a warehouse storage cell at Portus (Pagliaro et al. 2015: 562). .....................49 Figure 9. The floors beneath a warehouse cell (Pagliaro et al. 2015:562).....................................50 Figure 10. Portus (Pagliaro et al. 2015:561). .................................................................................52 Figure 11. Map of Cosa including harbor and lagoon (McCann 1979:392). .................................56 Figure 12. Types of concretes used at Cosa (Gazda 2008: 370). ...................................................59 Figure 13. Plan view layout of Herod’s harbor according to archaeological evidence (Boyce and Reinhardt 2004:124). .....................................................................................................................64 Figure 14. Method of Construction at Herod’s Harbor. A. Mole Formation using large concrete- filled wooden caissons on the sea bed. B. Kurkar pavers and ashlars laid over concrete to form quays, in turn supporting buildings (Boyce and Reinhardt 2004: 125). ........................................67 Figure 15. Sebastos study area with submerged Roman harbor ruins, ballast mounds, and locations of excavated trenches and sediment probes (Boyce et al. 2009: 1518). .........................69 Figure 16. The Archaeological Area of San Gaetano di Vada, courtesy of Digging Vada Volaterrana Website.......................................................................................................................75