Cotta was an ancient town built by
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
in the 1st century AD, in the province of
Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana (Latin for "Tangerine Mauretania") was a Roman province, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The territory stretched from the northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or Chella ...
, to function primarily as a
garum
Garum is a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantium. Liquamen is a similar preparation, and at times they were synonymous. Although garum enjoyed its gre ...
factory. The town was likely abandoned in the 3rd century AD. Its ancient ruins are now located on the
Atlantic coast of modern-day
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
a few kilometers south of
Cap Spartel, and include the garum factory, an olive press, a temple, a villa and a bath complex.
History
The factory at Cotta was established in Mauretania Tingitana after the annexation of the Kingdom of
Mauretania in 40 AD. It is one of several other factories established on both sides of the Mediterranean (
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
and
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
), and was intended to be a self-sufficient complex, given the presence of farming land nearby.
Excavation
The site was excavated by archaeologists
Michel Ponsich and
Miquel Tarradell Miquel may refer to:
* the Catalan form of the given name Michael
* Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811–1871), a Dutch botanist
* Gérard Miquel (born 1946), a member of the Senate of France
* Ignasi Miquel (born 1992), a Spanish football player ...
in 1965. It is the most thoroughly excavated site of its kind in ancient Tingitana. Its structure is no different from other sites found for example at
Lixus Lixus may refer to:
* ''lixus'', the Latin word for "boiled"
* Lixus (ancient city) in Morocco
* ''Lixus (beetle)'', a genus of true weevils
* Lixus, one of the sons of Aegyptus and Caliadne
Caliadne (; Ancient Greek: Καλιάδνης ) or Cali ...
and
Baelo Claudia
Baelo Claudia was an ancient Roman town of Hispania, located outside of Tarifa, near the village of Bolonia, in southern Spain. Lying on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, the town was originally a fishing village and trade link when it was ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External Links
Photos of Cotta كوطاfrom the Manar al-Athar Digital Photo Archive
History of Morocco
Archaeological sites in Morocco
Roman towns and cities in Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana