Garum in Herculaneum, Pompeii and the Roman Empire

The paper illustrates results of a pluriannual research project carried out by an Italian-Spanish team and focused on the exploitation of marine resources in the Vesuvius area. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the building known as the « Garum Shop » in Pompeii (I, 12, 8), in order to present a reconstruction of space organization and marine resource exploitation in an urban context dating to 79 AD. The building, discovered in 1960 by Amedeo Maiuri, represents a unique complex: it yielded a significant amount of finds still in situ, including around one hundred Dressel 21-22, still bearing tituli picti and visible remains of their content. Results of archive research, stratigraphic excavations, archaeozoological and archaeometric analyses are presented with the aim to propose a model of space organization for the production and sale of fish products and their derivatives, allowing a full assessment of garum production impact and role in Vesuvian economy and society. Data are then discussed within the wider context of production and consumption of fish products and their derivatives in central Italy and the Mediterranean.