The Roman fish tanks of the Western Mediterranean basin as potential scenarios for research on sea-level changes
Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development
ISSN: 2044-1266
Article publication date: 7 October 2021
Issue publication date: 26 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyses Roman fish tanks, which have functional elements that could be used to research on palaeo-sea-levels. Thus, the conditions of 37 installations in the Western Mediterranean basin are reviewed to identify those that have the best environmental and constructive conditions to be analyzed.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology was largely based on the review of existing scientific bibliography dealing with sea-level variations from studies on historical constructions, existing historical documentation on Roman fish tanks on the Mediterranean coast, as well as the fieldwork carried out in fish tanks on the Mediterranean coasts.
Findings
The Roman coastal fish tanks located in the shoreline of the Western Mediterranean Sea have turned out to be an excellent indicator of sea-level changes. Nevertheless, current coastal retreat, erosion and storm surges are posing significant threats to their preservation, and they could be considered as a heritage at risk of disappearance. Moreover, variations in the tectonic behaviour of the different coastal sectors make it challenging to select these facilities as an indicator of the sea level.
Originality/value
The analysis of Late Holocene sea-level changes and palaeoenvironments from archaeological and biological evidences, although not without difficulties, is very convenient because it provides very precise data that cannot be obtained with other absolute dating methods. This approach is increasingly gaining popularity with researchers and is very innovative in its method of combining the results of several scientific disciplines.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Thank the support of Professor Stefano Tortorella for his guidance and advice during the research stay developed at the Sapienza University of Rome.
Citation
Caballero-Rubio, F.J., Viñals, M.J. and Tormo-Esteve, S. (2022), "The Roman fish tanks of the Western Mediterranean basin as potential scenarios for research on sea-level changes", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 92-106. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-05-2021-0096
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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