The Testaccio Haliéutico de Gades, an extraordinary Roman landfill, has finally opened its doors to the public in Cádiz, revealing a key element of the city’s past. This archaeological enclave, remarkable for its size and its exceptional state of conservation, has in fact become the first archaeological museum managed by the University of Cádiza unique fact in Spain given the rarity of eminently university museums. The name of the said landfill, discovered less than 10 years ago, directly alludes to the famous Monte Testaccio of Romesince both are large mounds generated by the waste of intense commercial activity. Specifically discovered in 2016 during the rehabilitation work of the El Olivillo building for its transformation into a Business Transfer Center, the site is located in the basement of an archaeological crypt.
The peri-urban landfill, in relation to the Hispano-Roman city of Gadesthe Roman name by which the Andalusian city was known, documents two phases of use which extend between the end of the Republican era and the beginning of the Imperial era. The first waste dumping activity began at the end of the 2nd century BC. C. and remained so during the first half of the 1st century BC. C. This enormous accumulation of waste reached between 20 and 30 meters in height next to the Bahía Caleta canal. The crypt preserves more than five meters of stratigraphic power, which allows us to appreciate a section up to 7 meters high. This mound was the result of the unloading of ships arriving at port with large quantities of amphorae broken or unusable.
As a series of experts in the field have concluded, the formation of this “spill mountain” is believed to have been favored by Balbus the Little. The time of its use corresponds to a period of maximum historical splendor Gadeslinked to the time of Julius Caesar and the influential Balbo family. The origin of the enclave is intrinsically linked to the city’s powerful fish cannery industry. The remains linked to garum production, salting, dry cleaning and the auxiliary port industry were dumped into landfills. This volume of archaeological material makes it possible to reconstruct the maritime trade which Gades maintained between the 1st centuries BC and 1st AD
But the richness of the discovery made less than a decade ago reveals that in addition to the ceramic material, the accumulation also contains residues of the daily lifesuch as the remains of terrestrial fauna, ichthyofauna and shell beds. Fragments of fine tableware (Italic, Gallic sigilata) and kitchen equipment have also been documented. From an adjacent peri-urban landfill, documented at Sacramento 38 and Solano 1 streets, detailed information was obtained on the domestic instrument of Gades. At the beginning of the imperial phase, this landfill was reactivated at the time of Claude and gained momentum until the first decades of the 2nd century AD. C., distinguished by the heterogeneity of the rejected elements, which demonstrates their origin in habitat contexts and not only among potters. The analysis of the glass from this adjacent context, an unusual set to be published, reveals the coexistence of productions in modeled glass and blown glass, at least between the middle and the end of the 1st century AD. c.
The researchers identified shapes traditionally associated with tableware, such as bowls, glasses and pitchers, but also with personal hygiene, such as ointment pots and a perfume stirrer/remover. The small number of glass fragments found in the landfill suggests the practice of recyclingwhich was intense at the time of the high imperial period, a practice which may surprise but which was perhaps common in this city with Roman connotations. The opening of Testaccio was a priority for the University of Cádizwho directed the excavations, research and museification of the site to make it accessible to the public.
Guided tours
The project is the result of an institutional collaboration, the Junta de Andalucía transferring around fifty original archaeological pieces preserved in the Cadiz Museum to enrich the exhibition. But the important thing that both an amateur and an expert in archeology must know is that the archaeological crypt offers a direct, accessible and educational approach to Roman Cadiz. The tour includes a descent into the crypt, a specialist explanation of the production of salted fish and fish sauces in Roman times, as well as a ‘reading’ of the strata and deposits of amphorae and fauna. Additionally, visitors can see a model that illustrates the original Testaccio, the fishing industry, and several boats navigating the Bahía Caleta canal. Tours are guided, with hourly passes and a maximum capacity of 25 people per group.
This new visitable space is considered a milestone for local heritage which strengthens cultural identity and demonstrates the relevance of Gades as a dynamic city in the Roman Empirepositioning it as a benchmark in cultural and educational tourism. Anyone who wants to complete this visit with another gem of archeology, without leaving Cádiz and dating back to the same Roman era, will be able to delve into the “innards” of what is considered one of the oldest and largest theaters in all of Hispania. Its existence remained hidden for centuries, until in 1980 and during the execution of some works its existence was accidentally revealed. In this case, this jewel of Spanish heritage is a construction dated around 70 BC.
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