Although centuriation was only one form of Roman land division system, its impact on the landscape and visibility in modern land arrangements make it the most commonly recognised expression of Roman landscapes. Centuriated grid systems have usually been analysed from a materialistic point of view and consequently regarded as an expression of Roman dominance over conquered territories. In this sense, their productive function is clear. Tarraco was the ancient capital of the Roman province of Tarraconensis. Its hinterland, offers one of the most clearly documented examples of multiple grid centuriated systems. The wide array of digital and field methodologies employed is essential for documenting the traces of centuriated land divisions and their Roman origin. Most importantly, these methods have also allowed research to move beyond the pure description of the traces to explore the concepts and ideas behind the making of a centuriated landscape. By using Tarraco as a case study this article shows how centuriations were not only a system for dividing the land but also a conceptual appropriation of the landscape based on a strong mythical and religious background.
Search Results for: ager tarraconensis
Les centuriacions de l’Ager Tarraconensis: organització i concepcions de l’espai = The centuriations of the Ager Tarraconensis: spatial organisation and conceptualisation
Centuriació, modelatge i transformació del paisatge a l’ager Tarraconensis: resultats d’un programa de recerca integrat
The ager tarraconensis project (right side of river Francoli) (PAT): the application of geophysical survey to identify rural Roman settlement typologies
The methodology of the ager Tarraconensis project also included geophysical surveys aiming to distinguish different categories of rural settlements. Two geophysical techniques (resistivity and magnetometry) were combined to reveal traces of unearth structures from a selection of sites identified from the field survey. Results of geophysical surveys of these seven sites as well as conclusions obtained from this approach are discussed here.
Ager Tarraconensis 1. Aspectes històrics i marc natural/ Historical aspects and natural setting
El paisatge de l’ager Tarraconensis
Instalaciones oleícolas y vinícolas estudiadas en el marco del Proyecto Ager Tarraconensis (PAT)
Dentro del Proyecto Ager Tarraconensis, se han estudiado en el Camp de Tarragona 19 yacimientos con indicios de instalaciones de producción de aceite o vino, que se centran especialmente entre los siglos I a.C. y II d.C. También se han estudiado 22 yacimientos con indicios de alfarería, en siete de los cuales se conoce la producción de ánforas vinarias. El hallazgo de diversas marcas de alfarero dónde identificamos el nombre de M. Clodius Martialis apunta hacia una rica familia de la élite de Tarraco, con la que se han relacionado cuatro yacimientos y quizás un quinto. Entre la época de Augusto y el siglo III, el vino se confirma como el producto principal de una agricultura desarrollada dentro del sistema de la villa, enfocada al mercado de ultramar. El aceite se debió producir para el consumo local. Esta región no volvió a potenciar la producción de vino a nivel de gran negocio de ámbito internacional hasta el siglo XVIII, con el cual se establece una comparación.
Palabras clave: Almazaras de aceite y de vino, alfarerías, marcas de alfarero, propietario, esclavo, agricultura racional, siglo XVIII, circuito comercial.
Abstract
Within the Ager Tarraconensis Project, 19 sites with evidence of oil or wine production facilities, focusing especially between the first century B.C. and the third century A.D., have been studied in the Camp de Tarragona. We have also studied 22 sites with evidence of pottery production, seven of which are known to have produced amphorae. The finding of various brands of pottery where we identified the name of M. Clodius Martialis points to a wealthy elite family of Tarraco, with which four sites have been linked and perhaps a fifth. Between the time of Augustus and the third century, the wine is confirmed as the main product of agriculture developed within the villa system, focused on the overseas market. Oil must have been produced for local consumption. This region did not boost again the production of wine on an international scale until the eighteenth century, with which we establish a comparison.
Keywords: Oil and wine mills, pottery industry, pottery marks, owner, slave, rational agriculture, eighteenth century, commercial circuit.
