Shells at the Hellenistic and Roman cetariae of Portopalo di Capo Passero (Syracuse, Sicily): first evidence

Abstract

The present paper addresses the study of sea molluscs found in the halieutic site of Portopalo di Capo Passero (Syracuse) during the first excavation season (2019) undertaken in the framework of the Italian-Spanish project Archeofish. The sample comprises eight species of sea gastropods (Bolinus brandaris, Phorcus turbinatus, Patella caerulea, Patella ulyssiponensis, Hexaplex trunculus, Euthria cornea, Siphonaria pectinata and Cerithium vulgatum), two bivalves (Cerastoderma glaucum and Donax trunculus) and a decapod (Brachyura). The sample is not especially large (102 NR and 90 MNI); its relevance derives from the fact that they are the first archaeo-malacological samples published from a Hellenistic-Roman salted fish factory in Sicily. By species, limpets are the most abundant, followed by Phorcus sp. and Phorcus turbinatus. Most molluscs have been found in contexts dated to Phase II (Roman Republican period, mid-3rd to 1st century BC), whereas the amount of evidence dated to the Late Roman period (Phase IV; 4th – 5th century AD) is much more limited. The number of shells is small compared with that of other marine resources, especially tuna. Molluscs are, however, present in all contexts, and some changes can be detected over time. There is a substantial number of limpets (Patella sp., Patella caerulea and Patella ulyssiponensis) and sea snails (Phorcus sp. and Phorcus turbinatus), which suggests that shellfish was deliberately gathered, especially rock-dwelling species, which would be collected by hand.