Roman amphora with sardines found in Switzerland

"A Roman amphora containing remains of tiny sardine bones has been discovered in Gebenstorf, Switzerland. This the first archaeological evidence found proving that sardines were consumed in Roman Switzerland. The amphora was found in fragments within the remains of a Roman building complex on the Limmat River. Three large buildings were discovered in a rescue excavation prior to construction of a residential development. The complex was almost exactly one Roman mile (2.2 km, 1.4 miles) from the legionary camp of Vindonissa."

"The first large timber and clay building was constructed in the 1st century A.D. on a deliberately levelled hill. The finds associated with the structure indicate it was a warehouse for goods transported via the river destined for the legionary camp. The remains were so well-preserved that part of the rammed earth walls and the wall paintings that decorated them survived."

"The western building was a two-aisled hall with porticoes (covered arcades) in front. The central building featured a cryptoporticus, a covered walkway largely sunken into the ground, a common feature of Roman forums (marketplaces). The eastern building had a complex ground plan with several rooms, entrances, corridors, and courtyards. The southern ends of all three buildings lie outside the excavation area and may still be preserved beneath the current cantonal road."

A Roman amphora with tiny sardine bones was recovered in Gebenstorf on the Limmat River, providing the first archaeological proof of sardine consumption in Roman Switzerland. The amphora fragments came from a well-preserved Roman building complex located about one Roman mile from the Vindonissa legionary camp. Three large contemporaneous buildings served commercial, storage and administrative roles, including a warehouse with rammed earth walls and wall paintings, a two-aisled hall with porticoes, and a central cryptoporticus. Thousands of amphora fragments from Italy, southern France and Spain, plus scale weights, a folding ruler and styluses, indicate extensive trade, provisioning and administrative activity connected to the legionary camp and possible planned urban settlement.

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