River Port of Caesaraugusta
About
A working river quay on the calm inside bend of the Ebro, just downstream of the forum, that took in wine, salted fish, marble, and jewelry from the coast and sent wheat, timber, iron, and hides back the other way. Founded alongside the colony at the end of the 1st century BCE, it was still one of the busiest river ports in Hispania under Trajan and Hadrian, and stayed active until roughly the mid-6th century CE.
What happened here
Sailing season runs roughly from spring to autumn and the port lives by it. Ships anchor in the outer basin and warp in, or are unloaded by lighters if they draw too much. Cargo comes ashore under the eye of a customs officer taking a percentage, is weighed, and goes into warehouses along the quay. Grain for Rome is the priority and everything else waits behind it. Amphorae are stacked, checked, and the broken ones dumped. Gangs of porters work by the load; shipping agents and guild offices cluster round the harbour square, advertising routes in mosaic on the floor. Divers work the bottom for dropped cargo. In winter the ships are hauled out and the whole place goes quiet.
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 →