Lo sfruttamento delle lagune costiere nel mondo romano

This article offers an overview of the exploitation of lagoons in the Roman era, discussing the main textual and archaeological evidence available. It draws attention to the role lagoonal fishing must have had in the commercial success of urban centres famous for the production and trade of salted fish and sauces, such as Gades and Troia in the Iberian Peninsula. After discussing the evidence for various fishing techniques used in antiquity in lagoonal fishing, the article addresses the role lagoons of Roman Italy played in the development and perfecting of aquaculture practices in the republican era, both for fish and oysters. It is suggested that two geographic areas played a crucial role in this development, the lagoons near Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber and the lagoons near Cosa in south Etruria.