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In ancient times, the southern Spanish littoral served as the western terminus of the civilized world. It was occupied by various historical peoples, among whom were the Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans. Each of these elements added to the cultural, political and economic history of the area, but the Romans made the greatest impact. The province of Baetica, one of the richest in the Empire, supplied the rest of the Roman world, particularly the western sphere, with oil, wine, garum and metals. The way in which this commerce was enacted is the primary focus of this thesis, i.e. considering geographical limitations, how were the needs of a local and international carrying-trade met. By examining the archaeological and historical evidence pertaining to individual sites along the Baetican littoral, thereby formulating a composite picture of the area as a whole, a number of statements can be made regarding Roman commerce and trade.
Of the more than thirty sites considered, most were located at the mouths of rivers, some of which were navigable, thus facilitating communication with the interior. There is little or no evidence to suggest that the Romans built extensive harbor facilities at any but the most strategically or economically important of these locations, and most served as waystations or small settlements committed to the salted-and-pickled fish industry. It is doubtful whether merchant galleys ever reached these spots, primarily because it would have been difficult to moor successfully at many of these sites. The problems may have been overcome by beaching the smaller of these ships, or by laying at anchor offshore while wading stevedores or dinghies facilitated the process of loading or unloading. On the Atlantic shore, the action of the tide was utilized in many places to float ships into and out of estuaries, although this practice was risky and also not always reliable. Most likely, however, goods and products from the settlements along the littoral were carried to market in skiffs or other small craft, and loaded onto larger ships at customs-ports, such as Gades or Malaca. The density of settlement, especially during the late Republic and early Empire, indicates that the local trade must have been brisk, both among the Baetican towns themselves and with their closest neighbors, the towns along the adjacent North African shore (Mauretania Tingitana). Not until the late first and early second centuries A. D. does the commerce with other parts of the Roman world pick up, primarily in providing oil for the troops on the limes. Direct trade with the eastern Mediterranean was mainly limited to luxury goods.
In the third, fourth and fifth centuries A. D., much of the activity of the early Empire was curbed, and a trend toward smaller units and villae rusticae is indicative of the changing fortunes of the western Empire as a whole. Of those towns which did maintain prominence, either an excellent geographical location or some other influence, such as a strong Christian sect, were instrumental in their continued prosperity. Basically, however the center of gravity had shifted to the interior (in the case of Baetica specifically) and to the East (in the case of the Empire in general). Even with this shift, the emphasis on water-borne rather than land-based commerce continued to characterize this coastline and province for centuries to come, up to and including the present.