Salinae Aquileienses
About
Founded as a Roman colony in 181 BCE, Aquileia grew into the northern Adriatic's leading trade hub, moving glass, wine, oil, wool, and salt out through the lagoon at its doorstep. The Grado lagoon's evaporation pans supplied salt to a city Cassiodorus later praised for its saltworks near Venice. By 117 CE Aquileia had operated as a major salt-producing and salt-trading center for nearly three centuries.
What happened here
Shallow pans are cut into the flats behind a beach or a lagoon and filled at high tide through a gate. The water is walked through a sequence of pans, each shallower and saltier than the last, and the sun does the rest over the summer. In late season the crust is raked into ridges, left to drain, then carried off in baskets. The work is hot, glaring and hard on the feet, and it is done by contracted labour on a short season. Salt preserves fish and meat, cures hides and pays part of the state's revenue, so the pans are regulated and often leased from the state. A salina needs sun, wind and a tide, and it shuts down entirely when it rains.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →