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 (, ) is a coastal town on the south eastern coast of the Spanish island of Ibiza. The town is located on the designated road EI-200. Santa Eulària is the third largest town on the island and also has the only river on th ...

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

island of

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

. 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 arrived to occupy the island of

after defeating and destroying

Carthaginian Empire Ancient Carthage ( ; , ) was an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic civilisation based in North Africa. Initially a settlement in present-day Tunisia, it later became a city-state, and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians ...

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

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

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 In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

mining and

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

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 (a Spanish word coming from ; in ) is an elaborate and ancient technique for trapping and catching Atlantic bluefin tuna (''Thunnus thynnus''). The technique, in its most simple iteration, consists in setting up net barriers to trap ...

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 (: tunas or 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 bul ...

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 fermentation (food), fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, Ancient Greek cuisine, ancient Greece, Ancient Roman cuisine, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantine cuisine, Byzantium. Liquamen is a si ...

''.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 (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

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 enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

and was the

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and sour flavor. "Ketchup" now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes for different varieties contained mushrooms, oysters, mussels, egg whites, grapes, or walnuts, amon ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

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