The palaeochannel of La Caleta, the coastline of the terrestrial branches that frame it and the current shoals located to the northwest of the city of Cadiz were an essential part of the port network of the ancient city of Gadir/Gades.... more
The palaeochannel of La Caleta, the coastline of the terrestrial branches that frame it and the current shoals located to the northwest of the city of Cadiz were an essential part of the port network of the ancient city of Gadir/Gades. The fortuitous discoveries, those derived from illicit activities and the diverse research projects developed throughout the last century have allowed to accumulate a significant amount of data about the ships and products that circulated, anchored and shipwrecked in this sector from the Phoenician stage until the beginnings of the Late Antiquity. This paper aims to succinctly examine this complex historiographical development and, in particular, to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge about the presence in this area of wrecks and other findings dating from ancient times. These maritime discoveries can also be put into relation with the evolution of the settlement patterns in the coastal strip of La Caleta and its surroundings, establishing a dialogue between archaeological records that is key to understanding the transformations of the Phoenician, Punic and Roman city.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Classics, Maritime Routes, and 14 moreAncient economies (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Underwater Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Amphorae (Archaeology), Ancient Shipwrecks, Gadir, Gades, Roman Amphorae, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Arqueología romana / Roman archeology, Ancient Ports and Harbours, and Roman Archaeology
The area of La Caleta, northwest of Cadiz, is a key location for studies of the relationship between the Phoenician city of Gadir and the ocean. The port channel and the small islets that characterize the area was one the busiest sectors... more
The area of La Caleta, northwest of Cadiz, is a key location for studies of the relationship between the Phoenician city of Gadir and the ocean. The port channel and the small islets that characterize the area was one the busiest sectors of the city, and there are abundant underwater remains attesting to past commercial activities. The area also had an important religious role: two sanctuaries were located at the western end of the rocky promontories that surround the channel, and many items identified as offerings have been found. This article synthesizes previous research and provides an overview of the results of a recent project (2008-2010), which enables a thorough review of the development of the seascape and its use during the 1st millennium BC.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The area of La Caleta, north-west of Cadiz, is a key location for studies of the relationship between the Phoenician city of Gadir and the ocean. The port channel and the small islets that characterize the area was one the busiest sectors... more
The area of La Caleta, north-west of Cadiz, is a key location for studies of the relationship between the Phoenician city of Gadir and the ocean. The port channel and the small islets that characterize the area was one the busiest sectors of the city, and there are abundant underwater remains attesting to past commercial activities. The area also had an important religious role: two sanctuaries were located at the western end of the rocky promontories that surround the channel, and many items identified as offerings have been found. This article synthesizes previous research and provides an overview of the results of a recent project (2008–2010), which enables a thorough review of the development of the seascape and its use during the 1st millennium BC.
Research Interests: Classical Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, and 17 moreMaritime History, Ancient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Underwater Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Amphorae (Archaeology), Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology, Iron Age, Terracotta Figurines, Coastal geoarchaeology, Gadir, Gades, Ancient Mediterranean ports, Phoenician trade, Phoenician Punic Religion, and Ancient Ports and Harbours
La Caleta (Cadiz) has been addressed in the last decades as part of the port facilities of the ancient city of Gadir/Gades. The research in the area has provided interesting data regarding the distribu- tion of amphorae on the basis of... more
La Caleta (Cadiz) has been addressed in the last decades as part of the port facilities of the ancient city of Gadir/Gades. The research in the area has provided interesting data regarding the distribu- tion of amphorae on the basis of the study of a heterogeneous set of evidence from archaeological campaigns or from museum collections. The role of La Caleta and its surrounding shoals as anchor- age and commercial port should have been very important in Antiquity, at least from the Phoeni- cian period to the Late Roman Empire. Therefore, the analysis of the ceramic evidence from the site is quite relevant not only to contribute to a better un- derstanding of the use of this coastal area but also to study the features of the local maritime trade and the reception of foreign commodities. The main goal of the paper is to present some unpub- lished amphorae discovered in underwater contexts of the area of La Caleta in the 70’s. After a brief historiographic introduction we present the study of 36 amphorae individuals, and on the basis of the available data we will propose some ideas about the commercial uxes from/to Gadir/Gades between the 5th century BC and the 2nd century AD.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Ancient economies (Archaeology), Roman Pottery, Underwater Archaeology, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), and 8 morePhoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Amphorae (Archaeology), Ancient Shipwrecks, Gadir, Gades, Roman Amphorae, and Ancient Maritime Trade Routes
The Archaeological Project, conducted between 2008 and 2010, analyzed the performance of various geophysical techniques in an area of great diversity in terms of seabeds (sand, gravel, slime, rocks), with diverse depths and sites that... more
The Archaeological Project, conducted between 2008 and 2010, analyzed the performance of various geophysical techniques in an area of great diversity in terms of seabeds (sand, gravel, slime, rocks), with diverse depths and sites that provided a wide range of artefacts (pottery, iron items, stone items). The project attempted to assess the responses provided by these systems (side scan sonar, multibeam marine magnetometer and seismic profiler), whose application in this scenario generated a total of 351 anomalies. The ultimate goal was to develop a typology of geophysical records of underwater archaeological sites, complementing this information with the conventional visual survey. As a result of those activities developed in 2008-2010 it was obtained a complete bathymetry of the area under study and a mosaic image created from sidescan sonar, and also were recovered archaeological materials from a wide chronological range, documents that could illustrate aspects of local/regional Maritime, Military, Commercial and even Religion and Ritual History and Archaeology, from Phoenician colonisation until beyond the end of Antiquity.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Phoenicians, Roman Pottery, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, and 25 moreLate Roman Archaeology, Archaeology of Roman Hispania, Late Roman Pottery, Underwater Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Amphorae (Archaeology), Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology, Iron Age, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Late Bronze Age, Roman ports, Gadir, Gades, Roman Amphorae, Late Roman Amphorae, Maritime and Underwater Archaeology, Commensality, Roman cities of Baetica (Hispania), Cádiz, Phoenician trade, Ritual Practices, Roman Archaeology, and La Caleta
Breve presentación de los resultados de las investigaciones llevadas a cabo desde el año 2013 sobre actuaciones arqueológicas recientes desarrolladas en el área de La Caleta, así como de los estudios de materiales depositados en el Museo... more
Breve presentación de los resultados de las investigaciones llevadas a cabo desde el año 2013 sobre actuaciones arqueológicas recientes desarrolladas en el área de La Caleta, así como de los estudios de materiales depositados en el Museo de Cádiz de idéntica procedencia.