The Roman Docks of Massilia
About
Rows of dolia — massive ceramic jars taller than a person, used to store wine and oil — still sit sunk into the floor of this Roman commercial warehouse exactly where dockworkers left them. The complex was rediscovered by accident in 1947 while the district was being rebuilt after wartime destruction. Excavators only place its construction broadly in the 2nd century CE, a window that straddles this map's 117 CE cutoff too closely to call with confidence, so it ships conservatively as not yet standing rather than guessing which side of Trajan's death it falls on.
What happened here
Rows of identical rooms off a central courtyard, with a wide gate, a weighing station and a guard. Floors are raised on low walls so air passes underneath and grain does not sweat. Space is rented by the room or the amphora, and the operator takes a fee for storage and another for security; valuables go into strongrooms with iron doors. Everything is inventoried by clerks who are usually slaves and who are very good at it. Grain, oil, wine, marble, salt fish, timber — most of it in transit rather than stored long. Rats, damp and fire are the constant enemies and there are contracts covering all three. Around the entrance, porters wait for work by the day.
Sources
Nearby
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 →