Excavated: 1912 (GdS 1912, 76 (October); NSc 1912, 172-173, with 172 fig. 15; Vaglieri).
Mosaic: SO IV, 68 nr. 92, tav. 178 (bottom).
Inscription: CIL XIV S, 4549 nr. 10.
Date: 190-200 AD (SO IV); ca. 190 AD (Clarke).
Meas. of tesserae: 0.01-0.015-0.02 (SO IV).
Mosaic
General descriptionIn the middle of the back room are white tesserae. The surrounding area is lost. Through the white tesserae runs a narrow black band, from south to north, coinciding with a kink in the south wall (the model also has the band, but not the kink).
The floor in the passage between the front room and back room is damaged. In the south part of the passage is a very wide black band, stopping abruptly. At the north end is a curved patch of black tesserae.
Most of the floor of the front room has been preserved. The west part is missing. The east part of the south end has a narrow black band (wider according to the drawing in NSc), the west part a wider black band set against a single line of white tesserae (imitating a marble line?). Perpendicular to the east part of the south side is a black band following the plinth of the brick column. Perpendicular to the west part are a short black band and a small black rectangle. The north end of the room is bordered by a narrow strip of white marble, slightly to the south of the axis of the central column. According to the drawing in NSc the marble line was replaced by black tesserae in the west part, but it is today continuing.
In the frame are the following components: a single line of text; two ships; two fish joined together; a tower; two fish flanking the tower; a small fish and a few tiny objects above and to the left of the tower. Several lines are an indication of the sea. The entire scene is not in the centre of the room, but slightly towards the north. The mosaic shows at least two phases.
TextAt the east end of the front room is a single line of text, that does not have a frame or a tabula ansata (meas. of inscription are given by Vaglieri as 2.20 x 0.19). We are dealing with the city Misua in Tunisia:
NAVICVLARIMISVENSESHIC
Suggested reading:
NAVICVLARI MISVENSES HIC
Still in 1912, Vaglieri (NSc 1912, 212-213, with 212 fig. 7) mentions the find in Ostia, to the south of the Piccolo Mercato, of a marble slab with the beginning of two words: MISV and LAM (see our inscription nr. 33). Between the words are undulating signs. Vaglieri suggests the city Misua and the beginning of the name of another city in Africa. Wickert (CIL XVI S, 5282) notes that the slab is similar to a tabula lusoria, a gaming board.
DepictionsTwo ships with white sails are facing each other. To the right of the ships are two fish, joined together, separated only by a curved white line. Becatti interprets them as dolphins, which seems correct because of two lines indicating the beak. A small fish above the tower may be a baby dolphin. According to Becatti it is a modified octopus. The fish flanking the tower may be sea breams or, as Vaglieri suggests, tuna. The tower has battlements. On an old photo and drawing the lower extremities are black or white circles. Perhaps there were pieces of marble here, which disappeared after the excavation and were then filled with tesserae.
Becatti
Ships. Due navi affrontate; quella di sinistra con prua obliqua ed acrostolio sporgente, con i timoni poppieri, l'albero maestro fissato a prua da una sartia, dal cui pennone pende la vela quadra, l'acato, sopra alla quale pare di vedere espressa anche la vela triangolare, detta artimone. L'acato è reso dal reticolato delle bende, del ferzi e degli imbrogli, e a prua è l'albero obliquo di bompresso, mal disegnato, con piccolo dolone. Due linee sottolineano i fianchi della nave. Quella di destra è del tipo detto Ponto, rostrata, con ruota di prua terminante in una voluta e alta poppa con i timoni; albero maestro con acato gonfio, fissato verso poppa dalle scotte, pendente dal pennone retto dai tre sospensorî. La vela è espressa dal reticolato delle bende, dei ferzi, e degli imbrogli. A prua è mal rappresentato l'albero obliquo di bompresso con il dolone, che viene quasi a confondersi con l'acato.
Dolphins. Due delfini stilizzati, accoppiati, opposti in modo che nella curva delle rispettive code si disegna la testa, formando un curioso motivo geometrico curvilineo.
Tower. Un moggio rovesciato con cinque pieducci rettangolari, con una cerchiatura centrale e altre due intermedie che tengono insieme le assicelle, espresse con dettagli bianchi; rimarrebbe peraltro strana la svastura dell'orlo. Non so se potrebbe vedervisi invece una torre quadrangolare merlata, costruita di blocchi squadrati, con basamento a scarpata, ballatoio intermedio con due finestre strette; una torre costiera che assume quasi aspetto medioevale.
Fish. Due pesci dal dorso arcuato, maggiore quello di sinistra.
Masonry
The back room has a rear wall of opus latericium. The south and north wall are of opus vittatum: the north one simplex (two layers preserved), the south one mixtum B. There is a kink in the south wall (see also statio 9). On Vaglieri's plan the north wall has an identical, symmetrical kink, making the back part of the back room wider at both ends. It is not shown on Gismondi's plan and not present today. A row of holes is passing through the back wall.
Interpretation
The back part of the back room was used in a specific way, witness a kink in the south wall and perhaps north wall, and a black band separating the front and back part.
Misua is near modern Sidi Daoud on the north coast of Tunisia (Cap Bon). It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Tunis, opposite and ca. 55 kilometres away from Carthago. Today Sidi Daoud-Thonara is a fishing harbour, specializing in tuna. Tuna arrive in large quantities in the Mediterranean Sea in the period May-July to spawn. In the past a single fish might weigh 900 kilograms.
The harbour of Misua was small compared to many other harbours. It may have had quays of ca. 100-300 metres long. There were two harbour basins, protected by piers, and a lighthouse. Commercial activity is documented from the second until the fourth century AD. Nearby are remains of quarries of sandstone that was used locally in the Roman Imperial period. In this part of Tunisia many remains have been found of fish farms, workshops for salting and the production of garum, fish sauce.
As to the statio, taken together with the depiction of sea breams or tuna flanking the tower, instead of the more or less usual dolphins, I am led to think of the import of salted fish and fish sauce (salsamentarii were dealers in salted fish and garum).
As to the joined fish in the mosaic, Becatti speaks of a "curious motif", but it is not hard to interpret. Two fish joined together and moving in opposite directions form the astrological sign Pisces (20 February - 20 March or 15 March - 14 April).[1] Several ancient myths recount the story of Venus and Cupid, who had to escape from Typhon, monster of storms. They were transformed into fish, joined together by a rope and moving in opposite directions.
As to the "tower", both Vaglieri and Becatti have considered the possibility that it is an upside down grain measure or basket, made of braided material. However, we clearly see a building, an alternative that Becatti also considers. According to him it may be a tower made of large rectangular blocks, with battlements, a balcony, two narrow windows, and escarpments at the bottom. What I see from bottom to top is: a row of wide doors between escarpments; a roof, indicated by lines that are slightly askew; a further row of openings or a porticus; a balcony protruding on both sides; two units with doors and large windows; battlements. The battlements are a reference to military activity.
Something of a parallel is offered by depictions, on coins of Claudius, of the Castra Praetoria in Rome: an aureus struck in Rome and in Lugdunum, and a silver denarius struck in Rome. The coins are described as follows:
- Aureus. Rome mint. Struck AD 44/5. IMPER RECEPT, Claudius seated left, holding sceptre; to left, signum; all within distyle building with crescent in pediment and flanked by crenelated walls with arched entries; all set on crenelated wall with two arched entries. RIC I 25.
- Aureus. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 41-42. IMPER RECEPT across top of front wall, view of the Castra Praetoria: in front is a wall with two small arched openings below and five battlements on top; above and behind it stands a soldier on guard looking left, holding spear in right hand; aquila to left; behind him is a pediment in which is a crescent, on two pillars, flanked left and right by walls, each with a battlement above and an arch below.
- Denarius. Rome mint. Struck AD 44-45. Battlemented wall inscribed IMPER RECEPT enclosing praetorian camp in which Fides Praetorianorum stands left, aquila before him; behind, pediment with fortified flanking walls. RIC I 26.
IMPER RECEPT stands for Imperator receptus. Claudius was the first of many emperors to be raised to that office by the Praetorian Guard. This reverse type, depicting the Castra Praetoria, which lay north-east of Rome outside the Servian Wall, celebrates the event.
The building replaces the more or less usual depictions of grain measures and of the lighthouse. It is fair to assume that in this case too there is a reference to trade and to safe transport. Apparently there had been an event that directly concerned the shippers of Misua, and that had required military action. Such an event may for example have been the Year of the Six Emperors, 238 AD, which affected Carthage, close to Misua. After killing Gordian II, the Roman governor Capelianus "entered Carthage, ... put to death all the prominent men who survived the battle, plundered the temples, and seized the public and private funds. ... He turned the farms and villages over to the soldiers to plunder and burn" (Herodianus VII,9,10-11). The turmoil of this year was put to an end in Rome by the Praetorian Guard by executing the pretenders to the throne, after which they proclaimed Gordian III sole emperor (Herodianus VIII,8,7).
(1) Photo taken in 2019 by J.M. Videler near the archaeological museum of Lisbon, Portugal.