Traffici commerciali e approdi portuali nella Sardegna meridionale attraverso lo studio dei contenitori anforici provenienti dalle ricerche archeologiche subacquee (III-VII secolo)

SORO, LAURA

2018-03-21

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Abstract

This work concerns the study of trade flows of the southern coast of Sardinia in the Late Antiquity, through underwater finds, amphorae analysis and hypothetical docking. The centrality of the South Sardinia in the Western Mediterranean plays a strategic role along the shipping routes and the goods ex¬changes. Its position and resources undoubtedly have influenced, directly and indirectly, the involvement of the island in ancient marine traffic and commercial exchanges. The underwater surveys along the southern coasts in recent years allows to expand the information registry and have highlighted multiple situations of possible cargoes of wrecks, especially heterogeneous types, as for example in Cagliari (in the portual area and in Capo Sant’Elia), Nora (Pula), Capo Malfatano (Teulada) and in the sea of the Sulcis. In particular, the port of Cagliari was included within routes of goods transport and perhaps of tranship¬ment. From a methodological point of view, the study of amphorae is very important directing research towards goals that go beyond the exclusive ty¬pological-morphological assignment, that still represents an essential first step. The study of amphorae, in fact, is inextricably linked to economical and social aspects, because it is the means by which foods and other types of contents have travelled, sometimes bound by annonan or army regula¬tions, sometimes dictated by free trade choices. The materials and contexts that are presented below, are originated from all the Mediterranean area (South Italy-Sicily, Gaule, Baetica, Lusitania, North Africa, East Mediterranean, etc.). The second stage of the work concerns the analysis of the underwater archaeological contexts of amphorae finds. the aim is to understand the degree of exploitation of each coastal area and an hypothetical docking, through storiographic and geomorphologic approach of the underwater findings. The finds and the relative identified contexts allows reconstructing the evolution of economic-commercial strategies as a consequence of given political-administrative and social choices in the Late Roman period, which influenced the circulation of goods.