RT journal article
T1 New challenges in archaeopalynology: Pollen analysis on Roman bivalve shells from south-western Europe and North Africa
A1 López Sáez, José A.
A1 Bernal Casasola, Darío
A1 Pérez-Díaz, Sebastián
A1 Luelmo Lautenschlaeger, Reyes
A1 Díaz Rodríguez, José Juan
A1 Expósito Álvarez, José Ángel
A1 Jiménez Camino, Rafael
A1 Portillo Sotelo, José Luis
A1 Villada Paredes, Fernando
A1 Vargas Girón, José Manuel
A1 Cantillo Duarte, Juan Jesús
A2 HistoriaGeografía y Filosofía
K1 Conchopalynology
K1 European flat oyster
K1 Northern Africa
K1 Roman times
K1 Southern Iberia
AB The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) is a native species that was consumed as a luxurious product by the Romans. In the Strait of Gibraltar area, between southwest Iberia and North Africa, numerous oyster shells have been found in Roman archaeological sites located in both, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The origin of these oysters is unknown, as so if they were farmed or harvested in the wild and/or even imported for consumption. This study presents the results of pollen analysis of oyster shells from six archaeological sites in the Strait of Gibraltar area dated between the 1st and 6th centuries AD. This is the first time that such research is undertaken in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa; the second worldwide for a discipline rarely known until now: conchopalynology. Our study suggests that differences observed in pollen spectra could be used to identify the origin of the consumed specimens, i.e. where they were grown or harvested, discriminating whether oyster shells originated from the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean coastline.
PB Elsevier
SN 0034-6667
YR 2023
FD 2023-03-15
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29568
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29568
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 09-may-2026