In the sea and on the hearth:

Mussel processing in Butrint in the 5th and 6th century AD

 

 

Here, we take a look at fishing activities in Butrint, a settlement located on the Albanian coast of the Eastern Adriatic Sea.  Butrint was inhabited from prehistory to the period of the Ottoman empire (1299-1922/1923 AD). We will focus on the early Byzantine Empire period, more precisely on the 5th and 6th century AD, to find out, how fishing was conducted at the coastline of the peninsula.

 

Different archaeological objects, such as a fishhook, residues of garum in a vessel or fishbone remains indicate fishing activities in the past. In order to develop an understanding of the activities and the objects and tasks involved, historians, terrestrial and maritime archaeologists aim at finding answers through research.

 

Mussel shell layers, a hearth structure and a small well are evidence for fishing and fish procession in Butrint in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. They are found in the Merchant’s house, a building constructed in the southwestern area of the peninsula next to a second building, the Triconch palace. You can find more information on the Triconch palace in this exhibition section.

 

The mussel layer in the large rectangular room of the Merchant’s house contains shells and pottery sherds, dating to the late 4th, early 5th and to the first half of the 6th century, as well as charcoal pieces and animal bone. A small hearth, a semi-circular pit made of stones, aligns the room’s threshold and a small circular well (diameter 1.50m, height 0.40 m) made from limestone and held together with mortar was identified. It contained loose black and white/grey deposit, crushed shells, limestone and tile fragments and a second layer with pottery from the second quarter of the sixth century. What can this evidence tell us about the use of the well and the hearth in Early Byzantine times?

 

Until now, no further items for fishing, such as fishhooks or net weights, storage vessels for fish sauces in close vicinity or the like have been found. But analogies from contemporary fishing activities in other areas, for example in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean can be drawn. Fishing nets are Net weights made from metal were very popular in the Eastern Mediterranean region from the Bronze Age up to the Roman period. Fishing nets can also be fixed instalments, as found on the North African coast.

 

Since mostly mussels seem to have been caught and brought on the land to the Merchant’s house in this period, it is likely that similar fishnets were used by fishermen in Butrint. Further evidence for fishing is available from other periods, too.

 

One necessity for processing fish is the use of fresh water. Most ancient procession sites in Spain and Portugal were either located close by fresh water bodies, such as streams or rivers or water was provided by aqueducts or wells. The small well in one of the rooms of the Merchant’s house, could have provided fresh water for mussel procession purposes, because it dates to the same period as the hearth and mussel layer and could have been used at the same time. The proximity of hearth, well and shell layer supports this thesis.

 

The small size of the procession facilities considered, it seems likely that rather small amounts of mussel dishes were produced and consequently locally consumed. Apparently, fish is processed similarly by today’s fishers in the region. However, no ethnographies of modern fishery in the region exist yet.  If fishing was conducted in Butrint in similar ways in the fifth and sixth century AD, it seems to have been a small-scale activity by which food products were produced for local consumption in the Merchant’s house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Butrint is located at the Vivari channel, connecting the Lake Butrint in the North-east, and the Bay of Butrint at the Adriatic sea coast. In the foreground the remains of the Triconch palace are visible. (Bowden and Hodges 2011, 3. Figure 1.2)

Figure 2: Plan of the Merchant’s house in the early sixth century AD phase. (after Bowden et al. 2011, 186. Figure 9b)

Figure 3: Early 6th century well in the Merchant’s house. (Bowden et al. 2011, 187. Figure 5.58)

Figure 4: 3rd century AD mosaic from Sousse, Tunis. A man with a club seems to be about to hit the fish. In his other hand, a fishnet with small objects on its edges can be seen: Perhaps, floats or net weights? (after Yacoub 1995, 24. Figure 3a)

Figure 5: Industrial salting facilities for fish (IA, IB, IC). The cistern, which provides fresh water at this fish procession site at Troìa in modern Portugal is located in the centre. The fish procession facility was in use between the 1st century BC and the 6th century AD. (Trakadas 2006, 62. Figure 13. After Étienne et al. 1994, Figure 51)

Figure 6: Detail of the south-eastern corner of the late 5th to mid-6th century nave from the Basilica on the Vrina plain in the vicinity of Butrint. This part of the mosaic is located at the entrance to the Basilica. An ancient Greek inscription in the centre is dedicated to God, wishing that the vows of the dedicators will be fulfilled. Surrounding the mosaic, a number of sea animals are depicted. (after Hansen et al. 2013, 141. Figure 8.26)