Purple Dye Factory” at Tel Dor (Israel) As a Salsamenta and Garum Production Facility

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO Royal Purple or Pickled Fish? The use of analogy for reinterpreting the Roman “Purple Dye Factory” at Tel Dor (Israel) as a salsamenta and garum production facility A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Anthropology by Jackson Thomas Reece Committee in charge: Professor Thomas E. Levy, Chair Professor Geoffrey Braswell Professor Isabel Rivera-Collazo 2020 SIGNATURE PAGE The thesis of Jackson Thomas Reece is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California San Diego 2020 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ..................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................viii ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS ....................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 The Analogy .............................................................................................................................. 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES ............................................................ 4 Rock-Cut Pools ......................................................................................................................... 6 Water Channels ......................................................................................................................... 8 Rectangular Vats ..................................................................................................................... 10 Oval Basins ............................................................................................................................. 11 Central Building ....................................................................................................................... 12 Central Courtyard .................................................................................................................... 13 Dating and Original Interpretation ........................................................................................... 14 ARGUMENT BY ANALOGY: RELEVANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARALELLS AS ANALOGOUS FORM DATA ............................................................................................................................... 16 Roman Cetariae in Baelo Claudia ........................................................................................... 18 1. Cetaria C.I. I ................................................................................................................. 20 2. Cetaria C.I. IV ............................................................................................................... 21 3. Cetaria C.I. V ................................................................................................................ 22 4. Cetaria C.I. VI ............................................................................................................... 22 5. Cetaria C.I. VII .............................................................................................................. 23 6. Cetaria C.I. X ................................................................................................................ 23 7. Cetaria C.I. XI ............................................................................................................... 23 8. Cetaria C.I. XII .............................................................................................................. 24 9. Discussion of Common Features at Baelo Claudia ...................................................... 24 A Roman Cetaria in Cotta ....................................................................................................... 30 1. Factory Structure and Salting Vats ............................................................................... 31 2. Storage Area ................................................................................................................ 32 3. Tunny Watchtower ........................................................................................................ 32 4. Freshwater Features .................................................................................................... 32 5. Hypocaust System ........................................................................................................ 33 6. Comparing the Features at Cotta with Baelo Claudia .................................................. 33 iv Summary of Features at Fish-Processing Facilities ................................................................ 34 A Note About Piscinae and an Example from Israel ............................................................... 35 ANALYSIS BY ANALOGY: THE CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE AS ANALOGOUS FUNCTION DATA .................................................................................................................................................... 39 A History of an Anthropology of Technology ........................................................................... 39 Defining Technology ................................................................................................................ 42 Chaîne Opératoires and the Relationship Between Form and Function ................................. 44 Chaîne Opératoire for Roman Murex-Purple Dye Production from c. 100 BCE – c. 300 CE .. 48 1. Identifying Murex Snail Habitats ................................................................................... 51 2. Capturing the Snails ..................................................................................................... 51 3. Hypobranchial Gland Removal ..................................................................................... 52 4. Soaking the Glands in an Alkaline Solution .................................................................. 52 5. Reducing the Solution over Artificial Heat .................................................................... 53 6. Soaking the Fabric in the Dye ...................................................................................... 54 7. Exposing the Fabric to Sunlight .................................................................................... 54 Chaîne Opératoire for Salsamenta Production from c. 100 BCE – c. 300 CE ........................ 56 1. Identify Fish Migration Channels .................................................................................. 57 2. Catching the fish ........................................................................................................... 58 3. Washing the Fish in Fresh Water ................................................................................. 58 4. Gutting the Fish ............................................................................................................ 60 5. Immediate Transportation of Fish to a Cetaria ............................................................. 60 6. Salting the fish .............................................................................................................. 61 Fish Sauces and Other Byproducts of Salsamenta Production .............................................. 62 Salt Production in Antiquity ..................................................................................................... 66 REINTERPRETING THE FUNCTION OF THE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX ................................. 68 Rock-Cut Pools: Hatching Piscinae, Salt Pans, or Washing Basins ....................................... 70 Water Channels: Saltwater Mixing and Freshwater Sources .................................................. 73 Rectangular Vats: Fish-Salting ................................................................................................ 75 Oval Basins: Additional Fish-Salting or Garum Production ..................................................... 78 Central Building: Additional Processing Features ................................................................... 80 Central Courtyard: Preparation Area ....................................................................................... 82 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................... 83 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 85 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Diagram showing the format of the present argument by analogy, in the style proposed by Binford (1967) .......................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Regional map of the eastern Mediterranean, with inset map showing the location of the Tel Dor industrial complex (map by J. Reece, data: Esri Imagery Basemap). ........................ 4 Figure 3: Top plan of the industrial area (Raban 1995, Fig. 9.5) .................................................

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