S'Argamassa Roman Fish Farm can be found "579 Regional Map, Spain, Islas Baleares. Pub:Michelin Editions des Voyages, 2004, eastwards along the coast from the town of

Santa Eulària des Riu Santa Eulària des Riu (, es, Santa Eulalia del Río) is a coastal town on the south eastern seaboard of the Spanish island of Ibiza. The town is located on the designated road PM 810."579 Regional Map, Spain, Islas Baleares." Pub:Michelin Ed ...

on the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

island of

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

. It is in the municipality of

.Mapa Topografico Nacional de Espana, Santa Eulària des Riu 1:50.000. Published: IGN - CNIG (Spain Civilian Survey): 2006. The Romans built this fish farm and connecting aqueduct following their occupation of the island in 146 BC.The Rough Guide to Ibiza & Formentera. Pub:Rough Guides, Penguin Group, 2003,

History and location

The

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 ...

arrived to occupy the island of

after defeating and destroying

Carthaginian Empire Carthage () was a settlement in modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, Carthage reached its height in the fourth century BC as one of the largest metropolises in t ...

in 146 BC. The island was granted confederate status within the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

and was known as Ebusus Federatae CivitaeThe History Buff's Guide to Ibiza. Author: Emily Kaufman. Published: Tarita, S.L. (Federation city of Ibiza). As a result of this, the island's economy experienced a huge boost.

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

mining and

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

activities brought great wealth to the island during this time.

Fishing industry

The island's economy also saw a huge growth in its fishing industry. The fishing technique of

almadraba Almadraba (from Andalusi Arabic ''almaḍraba,'' meaning 'the place to strike, also derived into pt, Almadrava) is an elaborate and ancient technique for trapping and catching Atlantic bluefin tuna (''Thunnus thynnus'') originally used by the Pho ...

was used in the seas around the island. This used a labyrinth of nets and approximately fifty boats which channelled huge schools of fish,

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

being the main catch, into a holding area. The fish were then culled and dragged aboard the fishing boats. However these catches were so bountiful that not all the fish were killed. Some of the fish were kept alive in aquatic enclosures such as this one, along with a fish processing plant, built by the Romans at ''S'Argamassa''.

Aqueduct

Leading to the processing plant on the coast, the Romans constructed an aqueduct to carry fresh clean water from a nearby stream to the processing plant. Part of this aqueduct can still be seen today. The conduit is built from large limestone slabs with a channel carved into the top surface. Unfortunately it is rather neglected these days but a run of it can still be seen as it runs down to the coast alongside a modern hotel complex.

Production

When the fish surplus was brought to S'Argamassa, it was dealt with in two ways. The fish was filleted and then dried and salted. This product was called Salazón. The byproduct of the filleting process was used to produce the Roman delicacy of ''

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 grea ...

''.Curtis, Robert I (1983
"In Defense of Garum"
''The Classical Journal'', 78 (3): 232–240. ''Garum'' is a fish sauce which was consumed in great amounts in the

. The heads, tails, gills, innards of the fish were first boiled and then macerated in salt, and cured in the sun for one to three months. The mixture fermented and liquefied in the dry warmth, with the salt inhibiting the common agents of decay. ''Garum'' was the clear liquid that formed on the top, drawn off by means of a fine strainer inserted into the fermenting vessel. The sediment or sludge that remained was ''allec''. Concentrated decoctions of aromatic herbs might be added. Flavours would vary according to the locale, with ingredients sometimes from in-house gardens.Curtis, Rober I. 1979. ''The Garum Shop of Pompeii''. Cronache Pompeiane. XXXI. 94. p 5–23.

Fermentation tanks

At the end of the run of the aqueduct close to the shoreline there are the remains of rectangular structures which were once the fermenting tanks for the production of the ''garum''. On completion of the process the sauce was packed into enormous earthenware storage jars called

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

s,Ibiza & Formentera's Heritage, A Non-clubber's Guide. Author: Paul R Davis Pub:Barbary Press, 2009, also produced locally, and exported to all parts of the empire. The sauce was hugely popular

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...

and was the

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among other ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

of its day.

Gallery

File:037-The_remains_of_S’Argamassa_Roman_Fish_Farm,_Santa_Eulalia_21_June_2013.JPG, Remains of the holding ranks at the fish farm File:039-The_remains_of_S’Argamassa_Roman_Fish_Farm,_Santa_Eulalia_21_June_2013.JPG, Southern end of the aqueduct File:038-The_remains_of_S’Argamassa_Roman_Fish_Farm,_Santa_Eulalia_21_June_2013.JPG, Roman remains of the aqueduct at S'Argamassa File:041-The_remains_of_S’Argamassa_Roman_Fish_Farm,_Santa_Eulalia_21_June_2013.JPG, The water course can be clearly seen in the top surface of the aqueduct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:S'Argamassa Roman Fish Farm Archaeological sites in Ibiza Roman fish processing History of fishing Santa Eulària des Riu History of Ibiza Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Spain 140s BC establishments