Neapolis
About
Pliny the Elder named this Gulf of Oristano port among Sardinia's most important towns, its lagoon setting ideal for salting the tuna and other fish that passed along the coast. A Roman road and aqueduct once served the settlement, whose ruins remain visible at the mouth of the Pabillonis river. By 117 CE Neapolis had operated for centuries as a commercial hub within the lagoon system now called Stagno di Marceddi.
What happened here
Rows of stone vats sunk into the ground beside the sea, and the smell reaches a long way inland. Small fish and the guts of larger ones are layered with salt and left in the sun for weeks; the liquid that separates off is drawn away as fish sauce and the residue is sold cheaply as paste. Grades run from a luxury sauce that costs more than good wine down to the version bought by everyone else. Tunny is netted in season from lookout towers on the headland, and the fishing, salting, potting and shipping all happen within a few hundred metres. Amphorae are stamped with the maker's name. Towns built on this are rich, and they are built downwind of themselves.
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 →