Punic-roman cistern at "calle Alta" Street (Ibiza)

By Joan Roig Ribas

This punic cistern was found in the district of Sa Penya ("calle Alta" Nº 8-10) by the rehabilitation of a property.

Its appearance suggests that's could be built in punic era, probably between II and I centuries BC. With ceramic appears inside, we can dated its amortization on early years of the second century AD and its subsequent use as a dump on III-IV AD.

Plan and section of the cistern.

African cooking pottery: casseroles type Lamb.10a/Hayes 23b, pots Ostia III, fig. 267/Hayes 197 and cover-plates Ostia I, fig. 261/Hayes 196.

Ebusitanian pitcher of thinwalled production.

Fragment of base of a T.S. South-gallic bowl. Sigillum: OF.MA (ccarus). Oswald had situated the funcionality of this pottery in period of the emperors Tiberius and Nero (14-68 AD). There is another possibility, that the seal could be OF. MA(T), then it would be the office Montans-Matugenus, and we should prolong the cronology until emperors Claudio and Vespasian (41-79 AD).

As (roman coin) of bronze with the bust of emperor Vespasian. Obverse: laureate bust looking at right. Legend: [I] M [P] VESPASIAN CAES AVG COS II [I?]. Reverse: Aequitas shelf holding a balance and a rod. Caption: AEQVITA [S] AVGVSTI S-C. Cronology: 71 AD.

Centenional (roman coin) of emperor Constantius II. Coined by Maxentius in Rome's fifth office in the first half of 350 AD. Obverse: DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG. Bust is carrying pearl diadem and looking at right. Has a letter A on the left and a ballon on the right. Reverse: roman soldier lancing at a fallen barbarian horseman Cronology: 350 AD.

Another centenional of Constantius II. Obverse: Bust with laurel crown and looking at right. Legend, [D]N CONSTAN-TIVS P[F AVG]. Reverse: Roman soldier lancing at a fallen barbarian horseman. Exergue: [C] ON [S]. Cronology: 348-351 AD.