PORTO DELA CITA OPTIMO. Le infrastrutture portuali a Taranto dall’Antichità all’Età moderna

Thanks to its favorable geographic position, and in particular to the Mar Piccolo − a natural, two-sided lagoon − Taranto built a thriving economy based on fish and harbor infrastructure. A natural harbor provided the city with several landing places during ancient times, ensuring secure and dynamic trading activity. The Greek harbor was most likely located in the S. Lucia Bay, in the inner lagoon. Today, this innermost water basin is no longer there, as the 19th century building of the Arsenale Militare completely reshaped the area. Moreover, the 19th century excavation reports inform us of the recovery of two Greek docks and a terracing system built with the opus isodomum technique. Another quay was located in the Mar Grande, near the lagoon entrance, as suggested by the remains of an opus quadratum structure recovered at the Scoglio del Tonno. Less information is available concerning the Roman harbor. However, literary sources and archaeological data attest to its importance during the Late Republican age from an economic and strategic perspective. Later, during the Imperial era, the export of local goods demonstrates the dynamism of trade: the italic wine, livestock − for instance, rams − and especially the wool and purple-dyed craftsmanship products were traded across all other Mediterranean harbors. A third dock is also attested in the Mar Piccolo, at the feet of the acropolis, in the area known today as the “Marina”. However, we only have a few pieces of information, mainly hinted at by the topographic survey of the medieval city. Lastly, medieval and modern sources attest to three landing areas, the major of them being in the Mar Piccolo, near the old city’s marina. The other two stood in the outer Mar Grande − between the Scoglio del Tonno and the medieval town on the isle − and in the inner S. Lucia Bay.