Marie-Pierre JEZEGOU

L’article présente onze lingots de cuivre romains découverts en mer à la fin de l’été 2009 au large de Sète (Hérault). L’étude typologique et épigraphique ainsi que les analyses isotopiques effectuées sur ces lingots permettent de les attribuer aux mines du Sud-Ouest de la péninsule Ibérique. Le site de Plage de la Corniche 6 vient s’ajouter à la dizaine d’épaves et de gisements sous-marins ayant livré des lingots de cuivre romains au large des côtes de Languedoc-Roussillon.

A Roman vessel type adapted to protected waters was discovered at Conque des Salins (Etang de Thau, Mèze,
Département de l’Hérault, France). The preserved remains measure 7,70 by 2,20 m and include four frames and ten
strakes. The keel is nothing more than a thickened strake. The vessel’s transverse structure is weak, only six frames occupying
its 7,70 m length, at intervals of 80 to 96 cm. Longitudinal elements play a more important structural role than
transverse elements. The planking represents the primary structure of the vessel. This shipwreck is a flat-bottomed boat
used for transporting cargo on the lagoon and, perhaps, as a lighter.

"Résumé – Narbonne, colonie romaine et ville portuaire, est réputée pour le nombre de ses artisans notamment à travers les attestations lapidaires. Aussi, un essai de répartition spatiale des activités artisanales est proposé à partir des fouilles urbaines, mais également à partir des recherches sur les zones portuaires et rurales pour comprendre les relations qui unissent les différentes activités (céramique, métallurgie…) menées dans ces espaces. Ce travail bénéficie des premiers résultats des récentes opérations archéologiques conduites à Salauze (Laure-Minervois), mais également à Port-la-Nautique et au Grand Castélou dans le cadre du Programme Collectif de Recherche « Les ports antiques de Narbonne ». La lecture croisée proposée permet de dresser les premiers jalons d’une réflexion sur l’organisation du tissu économique et artisanal durant l’Antiquité à Narbonne et dans son territoire, entre littoral et contreforts montagneux.

Abstract – The Roman colonial city of Narbonne, site on the Mediterranean shore of the current Languedoc-Roussillon region (France), is known for the high congregation of craftsmen depicted by its lapidary remains. An essay on the spatial distribution of the craft activities (pottery, metallurgy) is proposed based on the data furbished by urban excavations, archaeological research of its harbour and the surrounding country zones. This work benefits from first results derived from the recent archaeological operations at Salauze (Laure-Minervois), Port-la-Nautique and  Grand Castélou, all in the framework of the research program “Les ports antiques de Narbonne”. It has allowed to establish the basis for the reflection on the economical organisation of the craft industry network during the Roman Antiquity in Narbonne and its territory extending from the cost to its mountainous foothill."

The Port-Vendres 4 shipwreck is evidence of coastal export trade between Hispania Citerior and Narbonne in 40/30 BC. The cargo is made up of a particular assemblage of Roman wine amphoras (Pascual 1, Dressel 1B and Lamboglia 2) destined for Gallic markets. Archaeological and archaeometric analyses conducted on a selection of the amphoras allowed the provenance of the cargo to be identified as Hispania Citerior and the central-southern Tyrrhenian coast of Italy. Iluro and/or Baetulo are proposed as the ports of departure, enabling the reconstruction of the trade route and the historical and economic significance of this shipwreck.

The Port-Vendres 4 Shipwreck Cargo: evidence of the Roman wine trade in the western Mediterranean. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274731410_The_Port-Vendres_4_Shipwreck_Cargo_evidence_of_the_Roman_wine_trade_in_the_western_Mediterranean [accessed Apr 15, 2015].

This publication is part of highly dynamic research carried out on Roman ports, developed thanks to interdisciplinary studies led in fluvio-lagoonal environments that had previously remained unexplored. The Antique port is considered in all its complexity: as an area of exchange connecting the sea with inland areas and a place subject to constraints and environmental changes. Indeed, this subject area is instrumental in the study of human interaction with the environment and requires ambitious research projects. The notion of a port system has been highlighted many times over, and is a concept that takes into account the transhipment areas, especially infrastructures on a territorial scale. Despite the constraints linked to these port environments (navigability, shifting of the rivers and coastlines), ancient societies both managed and improved vast areas in order to raise the economic stakes represented by a port.
The study of literary sources, shipwrecks, palaeoenvironmental data and the exploration of port zones are all elements called upon in order to better understand these port areas - the construction and exploitation of which led to technical innovations and an unprecedented development in exchanges during the Roman era. In order to epitomize the latest research and the richness of the themes raised by the study of the ports, the publication is comprised of three parts: the first relates to the port system of Antique Narbonne, the second brings together several syntheses on the fluvio-lagoonal and fluvio-maritime ports and the third part presents several geomorphological and palaeoenvironmental perspectives.
This publication brings together 26 contributions and constitutes a foundation upon which to pursue further research on the ports during Antiquity.

Samedi 27 juillet 2013: organisation d'un après-midi de conférences sur le thème: "32 ans d'archéologie sous-marine au large des côtes de Frontignan", salle Voltaire à Frontignan, et présentation lors d'une conférence sur les résultats acquis sur les fouilles des épaves du Lion et du Robuste.