Africa in the Roman Empire: Connectivity, the Economy, and Artificial Port Structures
Africa in the Roman Empire: Connectivity, the Economy, and Artificial Port Structures
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罗马帝国的非洲：连通性、经济和人工港口结构
DOI：
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发表时间：
2014
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
D. L. Stone
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
D. L. Stone
连通性与经济活动之间的关系是地中海考古学当前争论的主题，最近的学术研究表明了该主题对北非研究的重要性。本文通过迄今为止被忽视的大量证据来解决这个问题：人工港口结构，例如防波堤、码头、围墙和防波堤。我在昔兰尼加和毛里塔尼亚廷吉塔纳之间确定了 29 个确定的结构和 16 个可能的结构，其年代可追溯到公元前四世纪。我证明了这些结构的考古证据是比古代文学证据更可靠的信息来源，并讨论了从后者中得出的图片如何误导了早期的学者。我认为码头长度是衡量港口结构规模的最佳衡量标准，我用这个概念来概述各个港口和更广泛的地区在地中海商业中所发挥的作用。通过将人工港口结构与出口商品的主要生产中心联系起来，我增强了罗马帝国之前和时期北非经济的图景。
The relationship between connectivity and economic activity is a subject of current debate in Mediterranean archaeology, and recent scholarship has shown the significance of this topic for North African studies. This article approaches the issue through a body of evidence that has hitherto been overlooked: artificial port structures, such as jetties, quays, enclosures, and breakwaters. I identify 29 definite, and 16 possible, structures between Cyrenaica and Mauretania Tingitana dating between the fourth century B.C.E. and the sixth century C.E. I demonstrate that the archaeological evidence for these structures is a more reliable source of information than the ancient literary evidence and discuss how the picture drawn from the latter has misled earlier scholars. I argue that wharf length is the best measure of the size of port structures, and I use that concept to outline the role that individual ports and broader regions played in Mediterranean commerce. By relating artificial port structures to the major production centers of exported goods, I enhance the picture of the North African economy both before and during the Roman empire.