PhD Thesis by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670709 PhD dissertation: «El comerç mediterrani a Tarracona a le... more URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670709 PhD dissertation: «El comerç mediterrani a Tarracona a les portes de l'Islam (segles VII i VIII dC)» Author: Francesc Rodríguez Martorell. Supervisor: Josep Maria Macias Solé and Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros. 28/10/2020 - Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica.
This PhD dissertation — entitled “The Mediterranean trade in Tarracona before the Islamic conquest (7th-8th AD)” — aims to deepen the historical, social and economic trajectories of the city of Tarragona and its harbour, between the political dismantling of the Visigothic kingdom and the Islamic conquest. The archaeological development of the last decades has contributed to reach a high degree of knowledge about the historical evolution of Tarragona, allowing to breaden the analysis of material culture as a starting point for subsequen comparisons with other Mediterranean towns. The study aims to analyse a set of excellent ceramic deposits located in the western suburb of the port of the Visigothic city of Tarragona. This extensive area (more than 2 ha) has been documented in recent years, as a result of various archaeological excavations carried out by commercial archaeology, between the current streets of Ramon i Cajal, Reial, Jaume I and Vidal i Barraquer. In this research we will focus on a smaller area, at the confluence of Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, Smith, Torres Jordi and Avinguda Vidal i Barraquer streets. The results of this research represent an important step forward in the ceramic knowledge of the last Visigothic period of Tarragona, when the Iberian Peninsula came under Umayyad rule. But it also offers new insights for research into a complex and still open topic such as the economy and trade of the western Mediterranean between the 7th and 8th centuries»
Journal Papers by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
Espacio Tiempo y Forma Serie I Prehistoria y Arqueología, 2024
Se presentan tres objetos de bronce con características formales similares, identificados tradici... more Se presentan tres objetos de bronce con características formales similares, identificados tradicionalmente como specilla (sondas) de uso quirúrgico. Su hallazgo en el yacimiento de València la Vella (Riba-roja de Túria, València) aporta nuevos datos sobre la distribución espacial de este tipo de instrumental, asociado probablemente al mundo islámico. El análisis aborda su morfología, funcionalidad y paralelos tanto en la península ibérica como en el ámbito mediterráneo, contribuyendo al conocimiento de las prácticas médicas en la transición entre la Antigüedad tardía y la Alta Edad Media.
Butlletí Arqueològic èp. V, 2023
The main results obtained during the last excavations carried out in the roman villa on Mas dels ... more The main results obtained during the last excavations carried out in the roman villa on Mas dels Frares (2018-2021) allow us to better understand the main characteristics of a residential and productive settlement situated at less than 6 km away from the roman city of Tarraco. The villa reflects the common dynamics and evolution of this territorium. The main characteristic of this archaeological site was the use of water, both in the thermal complex and the agricultural holding during most part of this existence.
Archivo Español de Arqueología
Presentamos el estudio de producciones cerámicas de ámbito tardoantiguo (IV-VI d. C.) procedentes... more Presentamos el estudio de producciones cerámicas de ámbito tardoantiguo (IV-VI d. C.) procedentes de las excavaciones realizadas en el edificio palacial de Carranque (Toledo) durante las campañas de 1988 a 2003. La ausencia de metodología estratigráfica y contexto de este material condiciona y lastra su estudio, si bien el análisis íntegro del conjunto se ha demostrado esencial para la identificación de las producciones cerámicas presentes en el yacimiento durante ese periodo (TSHT, TSHTM, TSA D, lucernas africanas y ánforas) y para trazar, a partir del cotejo con las cerámicas halladas en contextos cerrados con metodología estratigráfica (campañas 2009 y 2010), las dinámicas y patrones de producción, consumo y comercio en las que se hallaba inserto el yacimiento a lo largo de la Tardoantigüedad (IV-VI d. C.).
Post-Classical Archaeology , 2023
The results obtaines in the València la Vella project introduce this archaeological site into the... more The results obtaines in the València la Vella project introduce this archaeological site into the scientific debate on forming new cities in Visigothic Hispania. Our research argues that it was a Visigothic city built during the reign of Liuvigild and in a context of confrontation against the Bizantine Empire. The research has already provided enought information to determine the urban and military character of the settlement: extension, terraced urbanism, craft activities, and public buildings. The relationship between the city and the nearby Pla de Nadal archaeological site must also be confirmed. Both sites are essential for recognising the impact of the Arab-Berber conquest on the territory of the ancient Roman city on Valentia.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023
Tarraco was the ancient capital of Hispania Tarraconensis, a Roman province in the Western Medite... more Tarraco was the ancient capital of Hispania Tarraconensis, a Roman province in the Western Mediterranean. It was a strategic enclave and one of the most important ports during the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity. The archaeological record of the city shows a variety of imported products arrived from several regions including a significant amount of eastern Mediterranean wares, amongst which there are fine, table-wares, amphorae, and coarse and cooking wares. This work focuses on the integrated archaeological and archaeometric study of these eastern types of Late Roman cooking wares from the mid-7th century to the early 8th century. In previous works, these products were classified as Aegean and North Palestinian imports. However, for some of these materials a detailed macroscopic study revealed similarities with local/regional products, opening the possibility of regional ware imitating eastern prototypes. An analytical study was carried out, applying a combination of WD-XRF and Optical Microscopy to identify their provenance. The results point to the coexistence of imported eastern Mediterranean wares and local/regional imitations. At the same time, some of the typologies identified as eastern Mediterranean products seem to have been produced locally or regionally.
SSRN Electronic Journal
Tarraco was the ancient capital of Hispania Tarraconensis, a Roman province in the Western Medite... more Tarraco was the ancient capital of Hispania Tarraconensis, a Roman province in the Western Mediterranean. It was a strategic enclave and one of the most important ports during the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity. The archaeological record of the city shows a variety of imported products arrived from several regions including a significant amount of eastern Mediterranean wares, amongst which there are fine, table-wares, amphorae, and coarse and cooking wares. This work focuses on the integrated archaeological and archaeometric study of these eastern types of Late Roman cooking wares from the mid-7th century to the early 8th century. In previous works, these products were classified as Aegean and North Palestinian imports. However, for some of these materials a detailed macroscopic study revealed similarities with local/regional products, opening the possibility of regional ware imitating eastern prototypes. An analytical study was carried out, applying a combination of WD-XRF and Optical Microscopy to identify their provenance. The results point to the coexistence of imported eastern Mediterranean wares and local/regional imitations. At the same time, some of the typologies identified as eastern Mediterranean products seem to have been produced locally or regionally.
Pyrenae, 2023
Late Roman Unguentaria en Tarragona: resultados preliminares sobre su caracterización tipológica,... more Late Roman Unguentaria en Tarragona: resultados preliminares sobre su caracterización tipológica, distribución y evolución en su suburbio portuario (siglos vii-inicios del viii d. C.)
SAGVNTVM. Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia , 2022
Presentamos un pequeño conjunto de lucernas argelinas recuperadas en contextos arqueológicos del ... more Presentamos un pequeño conjunto de lucernas argelinas recuperadas en contextos arqueológicos del s. V en Tarragona. La mayor parte del catálogo procede del antiguo témenos de culto imperial del conjunto arquitectónico del Concilium Prouinciae flavio y el resto del área portuaria de la ciudad. Se trata de unas lucernas escasamente documentadas en Hispania y que ponen de manifiesto relaciones comerciales con la Mauritania Caesarensis.
Sagvntum, Dec 28, 2022
Presentamos un pequeño conjunto de lucernas argelinas recuperadas en contextos arqueológicos del ... more Presentamos un pequeño conjunto de lucernas argelinas recuperadas en contextos arqueológicos del s. V en Tarragona. La mayor parte del catálogo procede del antiguo témenos de culto imperial del conjunto arquitectónico del Concilium Prouinciae flavio y el resto del área portuaria de la ciudad. Se trata de unas lucernas escasamente documentadas en Hispania y que ponen de manifiesto relaciones comerciales con la Mauritania Caesarensis.
Boletín Ex Officina Hispana 13, 2022
Un ejemplar de ánfora oriental alto-imperial tipo Carrot Vipard 3a1 encontrada en la ciudad roman... more Un ejemplar de ánfora oriental alto-imperial tipo Carrot Vipard 3a1 encontrada en la ciudad romana de Tarraco (Tarragona, Catalunya)
ArcheoSciences, 43-2, 2019
Leandro Fantuzzi, Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros, Josep Maria Macias Solé et Francesc Rodríguez Marto... more Leandro Fantuzzi, Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros, Josep Maria Macias Solé et Francesc Rodríguez Martorell, « Eastern Mediterranean amphorae from Late Antique urban centers of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula: archaeometric characterization », ArcheoSciences, 43-2 | 2019, 229-247.
Amphorae from Palestine, Turkey, the Aegean and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean are frequently documented in Late Antique archaeological contexts in northeastern Spain, in relation to the transport of wine and other products. In order to gain further information on their compositional variability, provenance and production technology, a series of these amphorae was archaeometrically characterized. The amphorae were sampled from various contexts found in consumption centres of the current Catalan coastal territory, dated between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. Various types of eastern Mediterranean amphorae were characterized, including the most common ones, such as LRA 1, LRA 4, LRA 2 and LRA 3, but also others less represented in the ceramic assemblages. The selected samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques (WD-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction and optical microscopy by thin section analysis) for their chemical, mineralogical and petrographic characterization. The results show the presence of well differentiated fabrics and chemical compositions for each of the amphora types analyzed as well as certain variability in some of them, related to differences in provenance and/or production technology. Comparison with available archaeometric and archaeological data from eastern Mediterranean production centers enabled for provenance hypotheses for many of the amphorae under study.
ArcheoSciences, 43-2, 2019
Amphorae from Palestine, Turkey, the Aegean and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean are fre... more Amphorae from Palestine, Turkey, the Aegean and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean are frequently documented in Late Antique archaeological contexts in northeastern Spain, in relation to the transport of wine and other products. In order to gain further information on their compositional variability, provenance and production technology, a series of these amphorae was archaeometrically characterized. The amphorae were sampled from various contexts found in consumption centres of the current Catalan coastal territory, dated between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. Various types of eastern Mediterranean amphorae were characterized, including the most common ones, such as LRA 1, LRA 4, LRA 2 and LRA 3, but also others less represented in the ceramic assemblages. e selected samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques (WD-X-ray uorescence, X-ray powder diraction and optical microscopy by thin section analysis) for their chemical, mineralogical and petrographic characterization. e results show the presence of well dierentiated fabrics and chemical compositions for each of the amphora types analyzed as well as certain variability in some of them, related to dierences in provenance and/or production technology. Comparison with available archaeometric and archaeological data from eastern Mediterranean production centers enabled for provenance hypotheses for many of the amphorae under study.
We studied an aequipondium or counterweight balance in bronze with figurative representation of a... more We studied an aequipondium or counterweight balance in bronze with figurative representation of a female divinity. He appeared in front of Tarragona port and is preserved in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona (MNAT). We emphasize its exceptional weight of 38 kg, the largest, far ahead of all aequipondia hitherto known in the Roman world. Statera belong to a giant or balance arm. This scale would necessarily be mounted on a large frame or machina, capable of weighing huge loads of up to 1500 kg or more. By place of discovery and its high artistic and technical qualities propose relate to public balance (ponderarium or sacomarium) of roman port. The female divinity represented should be an image of Aequitas, Equity, numen protector of fair dealing in the weights and measures of the markets.
Estudis de Constantí, 2013
Book Chapters by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
Rueda, M., Járrega, R. (eds), Dolia ex Hispania: els dolia a les províncies d’Hispania en época romana. Estat de la qüestió i perspectives (2022),, 2024
Called dolium/a by the Ceremology research, due to the conservation of features resembling the we... more Called dolium/a by the Ceremology research, due to the conservation of features resembling the well-known Republican and Imperial vessels, these smaller size containers were also used for food storage and for the daily life of the Visigothic society. We suggest a new quantitative and qualitative approach to the more significant features, observed in the Visigothic town of Tarracona, a diachronic vision which stresses the morphologic evolution and the capacity estimation. This analysis intends to be another way of approaching the new practices and uses of the domestic spaces.
El sitio de las cosas: la Alta Edad Media en contexto, 2020, ISBN 978-84-9717-707-8, págs. 67-82, 2020
En temps dels visigots al territori de València: Museu de Prehistòria de València del 18 de desembre de 2019 al 28 de juny de 2020, 2019, ISBN 978-84-7795-838-3, págs. 97-103, 2019
Caminneci, V., Giannitrapani, E., Parello, M. C., Serena, M. (eds), 6th International Conference on Late Roman Coarse Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean: Archaeology and Archaeometry. Land and Sea. Pottery Routes (Agrigento, 2017), 2023
We present two small ceramic contexts recovered in the fortified enclosure “València la Vella”, i... more We present two small ceramic contexts recovered in the fortified enclosure “València la Vella”, inside the territory of the city of Valentia. The study provides evidence for the continuity of commercial relations in a fortified nucleus located 20 km from the Mediterranean coast.
Caminneci, V., Giannitrapani, E., Parello, M. C., Serena, M. (eds), 6th International Conference on Late Roman Coarse Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean: Archaeology and Archaeometry. Land and Sea. Pottery Routes (Agrigento, 2017), 2023
The study of new 7th and early 8th century pottery contexts in the port area of Tarragona has all... more The study of new 7th and early 8th century pottery contexts in the port area of Tarragona has allowed us to update our archaeological knowledge of the trading networks involving this Hispanic Mediterranean town in the late Visigothic period. The results show that the Tarraconensian port was connected by sea with the main focal points and distributions routes for food supplies and consumer items in North Africa and the Near East.
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PhD Thesis by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
This PhD dissertation — entitled “The Mediterranean trade in Tarracona before the Islamic conquest (7th-8th AD)” — aims to deepen the historical, social and economic trajectories of the city of Tarragona and its harbour, between the political dismantling of the Visigothic kingdom and the Islamic conquest. The archaeological development of the last decades has contributed to reach a high degree of knowledge about the historical evolution of Tarragona, allowing to breaden the analysis of material culture as a starting point for subsequen comparisons with other Mediterranean towns. The study aims to analyse a set of excellent ceramic deposits located in the western suburb of the port of the Visigothic city of Tarragona. This extensive area (more than 2 ha) has been documented in recent years, as a result of various archaeological excavations carried out by commercial archaeology, between the current streets of Ramon i Cajal, Reial, Jaume I and Vidal i Barraquer. In this research we will focus on a smaller area, at the confluence of Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, Smith, Torres Jordi and Avinguda Vidal i Barraquer streets. The results of this research represent an important step forward in the ceramic knowledge of the last Visigothic period of Tarragona, when the Iberian Peninsula came under Umayyad rule. But it also offers new insights for research into a complex and still open topic such as the economy and trade of the western Mediterranean between the 7th and 8th centuries»
Journal Papers by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
Amphorae from Palestine, Turkey, the Aegean and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean are frequently documented in Late Antique archaeological contexts in northeastern Spain, in relation to the transport of wine and other products. In order to gain further information on their compositional variability, provenance and production technology, a series of these amphorae was archaeometrically characterized. The amphorae were sampled from various contexts found in consumption centres of the current Catalan coastal territory, dated between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. Various types of eastern Mediterranean amphorae were characterized, including the most common ones, such as LRA 1, LRA 4, LRA 2 and LRA 3, but also others less represented in the ceramic assemblages. The selected samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques (WD-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction and optical microscopy by thin section analysis) for their chemical, mineralogical and petrographic characterization. The results show the presence of well differentiated fabrics and chemical compositions for each of the amphora types analyzed as well as certain variability in some of them, related to differences in provenance and/or production technology. Comparison with available archaeometric and archaeological data from eastern Mediterranean production centers enabled for provenance hypotheses for many of the amphorae under study.
Book Chapters by Francesc Rodriguez Martorell
This PhD dissertation — entitled “The Mediterranean trade in Tarracona before the Islamic conquest (7th-8th AD)” — aims to deepen the historical, social and economic trajectories of the city of Tarragona and its harbour, between the political dismantling of the Visigothic kingdom and the Islamic conquest. The archaeological development of the last decades has contributed to reach a high degree of knowledge about the historical evolution of Tarragona, allowing to breaden the analysis of material culture as a starting point for subsequen comparisons with other Mediterranean towns. The study aims to analyse a set of excellent ceramic deposits located in the western suburb of the port of the Visigothic city of Tarragona. This extensive area (more than 2 ha) has been documented in recent years, as a result of various archaeological excavations carried out by commercial archaeology, between the current streets of Ramon i Cajal, Reial, Jaume I and Vidal i Barraquer. In this research we will focus on a smaller area, at the confluence of Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, Smith, Torres Jordi and Avinguda Vidal i Barraquer streets. The results of this research represent an important step forward in the ceramic knowledge of the last Visigothic period of Tarragona, when the Iberian Peninsula came under Umayyad rule. But it also offers new insights for research into a complex and still open topic such as the economy and trade of the western Mediterranean between the 7th and 8th centuries»
Amphorae from Palestine, Turkey, the Aegean and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean are frequently documented in Late Antique archaeological contexts in northeastern Spain, in relation to the transport of wine and other products. In order to gain further information on their compositional variability, provenance and production technology, a series of these amphorae was archaeometrically characterized. The amphorae were sampled from various contexts found in consumption centres of the current Catalan coastal territory, dated between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. Various types of eastern Mediterranean amphorae were characterized, including the most common ones, such as LRA 1, LRA 4, LRA 2 and LRA 3, but also others less represented in the ceramic assemblages. The selected samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques (WD-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction and optical microscopy by thin section analysis) for their chemical, mineralogical and petrographic characterization. The results show the presence of well differentiated fabrics and chemical compositions for each of the amphora types analyzed as well as certain variability in some of them, related to differences in provenance and/or production technology. Comparison with available archaeometric and archaeological data from eastern Mediterranean production centers enabled for provenance hypotheses for many of the amphorae under study.
We have identified a productive and exchange zone, possibly belonging to the Visigoth cataplus and integrated in the Mediterranean trade networks. Their evidences show a great constructive activity and urban renovation, especially between the second half of VIIIth and the first half of VIIIth centuries. There were five buildings where bi-functional spaces to be found, with workshops to foundry and manufacture both metal objects and glass; while in other rooms domestic spaces were developed. The interest of the instrumentum domesticum related transport, cooking and foods consumption lies not only in its chronology, but also in the fact that it reflects the latest products marketed in the western Mediterranean, as well as the ethnographic evolution of coarse pottery. It was a strong space of exchange in which an important numismatic set has recovered. Consequently, we are defining, for het first time, a faithful material culture of Tarracona city before and during the arrival of Islam in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula.
out in València la Vella between 2016 and 2018. In these first campaigns we documented
the settlement topographically and dug stratigraphic verification trenches. We have also
started to document the section of the wall most damaged by actions in the twentieth
century.
These activities have allowed us to corroborate the Visigothic chronology of a walled
nucleus of almost 5 hectares and to confirm the importance of the intramural urban
planning and the economic activities undertaken in it. In this way we are able to offer
València la Vella to the scientific community as one of the most important Visigothic
archaeological sites for contributing to our knowledge of urban planning and society in
the sixth and seventh centuries.
out in València la Vella between 2016 and 2018. In these first campaigns we documented
the settlement topographically and dug stratigraphic verification trenches. We have also
started to document the section of the wall most damaged by actions in the twentieth
century.
.
These activities have allowed us to corroborate the Visigothic chronology of a walled
nucleus of almost 5 hectares and to confirm the importance of the intramural urban
planning and the economic activities undertaken in it. In this way we are able to offer
València la Vella to the scientific community as one of the most important Visigothic
archaeological sites for contributing to our knowledge of urban planning and society in
the sixth and seventh centuries.
We present a complete review of the African red slip ware and Tunisian lamps from the excavations of the cloister of Tarragona Cathedral in 1955, where one of these dumps was found. These ceramics have been partially studied (Rüger, 1968; Sánchez Real, 1989; Aquilué Abadías, 1992), so this updated review represents an advance in ceramological knowledge of Late Antique Tarraco. It is found that 90% of the overall fine ware corresponds to African red slip ware, represented by 14 different types. In addition, the dump also includes a variety of Tunisian lamps, which contribute to the general knowledge of North African imports into the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula.
In this way, progress is made in the socio-economic understanding of Late Antique Tarraco and in the historical knowledge of the transformation of an imperial cult enclosure that housed the temples dedicated to Augustus and the Flavian dynasty.
Los basureros representan una de las principales vías de información, y el depósito documentado en el claustro de la Catedral de Tarragona, excavado en el año 1955 por José Sánchez Real (1969) y estudiado de manera preliminar por Christoph B. Rüger (1968), continúa siendo de gran interés. En cuanto a las ánforas, menos del 5% del material recuperado ha sido publicado. Esto nos permite afirmar que se trata de un contexto prácticamente inédito. Además, la diversidad tipológica y de procedencia de las ánforas encontradas en el claustro nos proporciona valiosas pistas sobre rutas comerciales que abarcan gran parte del Mediterráneo. Esto subraya una vez más la importancia comercial y económica del puerto romano de Tarraco durante el s. V d.C.
En esta revisión, presentamos un análisis exhaustivo de todas las ánforas procedentes de dicho contexto de basurero. De manera preliminar, el basurero está formado principalmente por un gran conjunto de ánforas africanas, orientales, lusitanas y béticas, conformando un repertorio tipológico de gran riqueza tanto en forma, como en origen de producción. Por otro lado, junto al estudio de la vajilla fina que se está realizando en estos momentos, el análisis cronotipológico permitirá ajustar la cronología de formación del vertedero en un momento avanzado del s. V d.C., pudiéndolo diferenciar así de otros vertederos conocidos en la Part Alta como el vertedero Vila-roma (mediados del s. V d.C., 425-450/460) o el del antiguo Hospital de Sta. Tecla y de la Antiga Audiència (mediados y finales del siglo V respectivamente). Todo ello no solo aporta información sobre el momento de cambio y transformación de la Part Alta de la ciudad romana, dónde se ubicaban los templos dedicados a Augusto y a la dinastía Flavia, sino que también arroja luz sobre un período comercial específico, el s. V d.C., en una de las ciudades más relevantes del Occidente mediterráneo.
Los datos tratados en este estudio se encuentran en el siguiente repositorio de datos en abierto: https://doi.org/10.34810/data1335