Hydraulic archaeology with a fishy scent
On S’Argamassa beach, one of the surviving traces of the time when Ibiza was known as Ebusus and was a Civitas Foederata – a federated city – of Rome can still be seen: the remains of a 425-metre-long Roman aqueduct built in the 1st century AD. Based on the finds at the site, it is believed that this structure formed part of an industrial facility used for salting fish and producing ‘garum’, a sauce highly prized by the Romans made from fish fermented in brine.
If you approach the aqueduct, you can imagine it carrying water to the tanks where the caught fish was stored and observe the material used in its construction, opus caementicium – Roman concrete – made from water, lime, pebbles, sand and rubble. The s’Argamassa aqueduct has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest, alongside the remains of an imperial Roman villa.
Fancy a suggestion? Why not enjoy a lovely coastal walk from S’Argamassa beach to the village of Santa Eulària, passing through Cala Pada and Es Niu Blau.
