From the Waters to the Plate to the Latrine: Fish and Seafood from the Cardo V Sewer, Herculaneum

Rebecca Nicholson,Jennifer Robinson,Erica Rowan,Mark Robinson

doi:10.1007/s11457-018-9218-y

Abstract

The excavation of an ancient sewer in the town of Herculaneum, Italy, provided the opportunity to study Roman diet in the Bay of Naples, including the marine component. The sewer served an apartment block which was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and retained human and kitchen waste of the non-élite individuals living above. The remains showed a high degree of dietary diversity with around 70 fish, 48 marine mollusc and three marine arthropod taxa being identified. The fish were mostly small individuals which were probably netted in fairly shallow, coastal waters. The marine invertebrates included species of sandy shores, rocks and the sea bed but the majority could have been collected very close to the water’s edge. Both the fish and the shellfish would have been available locally in large quantities and probably represented cheap and nutritious dietary fare. Some of the consumed fish was probably salted (salsamenta) or fermented (as fish sauces such as garum), but it is thought that most of the fish and shellfish originated in the Bay of Naples and would have been purchased fresh. The difficulty of identifying preserved fish within the mixed sewer assemblage is discussed.

Highlights

Herculaneum was a small Roman town situated on the Bay of Naples, Italy
Most of the fish from the sewer samples were probably caught in nets similar to the carbonised example previously found from Herculaneum (BekkerNielsen 2010: 201) with fishermen operating from small boats like the gozzos used today and a vessel recovered from the ancient shoreline at Herculaneum
The marine food remains from the Cardo V Sewer offer a glimpse of the fish and shellfish consumption of the townsfolk of Herculaneum

Summary

Introduction

Herculaneum was a small Roman town situated on the Bay of Naples, Italy. It was buried by the great eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 which covered Pompeii. In contrast to the pit latrines at Pompeii, the Cardo V Sewer collected waste horizontally rather than vertically, and this, together with the lack of an outflow for solids, resulted in the accumulation of over 1 m of material over a length of 53 m which was sealed by ash from the eruption. In effect this sewer system acted as a large cesspit, the remains of fish and shellfish found within which reflect foods prepared and eaten by the inhabitants of this district

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion