LA PESCA NEL MEDITERRANEO ANTICO: I PESCATORI DI CORALLO TRA FONTI LETTERARIE E ARCHEOLOGIA

Abstract

The activity of the coral fishermen in ancient times can be partially reconstructed by following the data from the
literary and archaeological sources existing in the Mediterranean area, as a whole. According to this documentation,
the early forms of organized fishing seem to be dated back to the end of 6th century B.C. at least, although
the coral harvest, as known, was already practiced before then. After this period, the so-called “St. Andrew’s
cross”, which was known with some variants until the last century, was added to spearfishing. This contribution
aims to focus on the places where supply activities occurred in antiquity – located in the central-western Mediterranean
Sea, with a gradual expansion from central-northern to central sector – and on this profession carried
out by specialized fishermen with specific skills, considering the complexity of the adopted techniques and the
risks that may be encountered in marine environment.

Key words: coral, spear fishing, Saint Andrew’s cross, specialized fishermen, Mediterranean Sea.