Salting and consuming fish in the Classical Mediterranean. A review of the archaeological evidence from the Punic Amphora Building (Corinth, Greece)

Description

archaeoichthyological studies from the Aegean Sea are increasing, the discovery of zooarchaeological remainslinked to processed fish from the Classical and Roman Antiquity remains scarce. The faunal material found in the so-calledPunic Amphora Building at Corinth (dating mid-5th century BC), together with hundreds of Punic transport amphorae, has beeninterpreted as the evidence of considerable trade of salted bluefin tuna (tárichos) developed between the Strait of Gibraltar regionand the Eastern Greek cities as early as the 5th century BC. More western Punic amphorae found elsewhere in the Aegean, Sicilyand Magna Graecia, as well as some quotes in the Greek classical sources of the 5th-4th centuries BC confirm the magnitude of thatcommercial and gastronomic connection. A recent review of both the amphorae and the faunal material from the tavern allow fora detailed account of the fish remains and also an experimental replication of the salting process. In addition, the analysis of theamphorae from the Corinthian building and other sites in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean supports the hypothesis of acommercial struggle between the western Punic cities and the Carthaginian fish by-products at least from the late 5th century BC.

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