A Story of Land and Water

Abstract

The chapter examines the exploitation of the sea, coastal lagoons, and lakes, particularly in respect to large- and medium-scale fishing and fish processing. The first part focuses on the mechanisms by which landowners, social elites, and collective entities such as sanctuaries situated in favourable geographic locations tried to secure the exploitation of natural resources. Case studies of disputes involving a town (Histria) and a sanctuary (Artemision in Ephesus) illustrate the strategies used to protect the rights to the exploitation of nearby lagoons against claims by the publicani. The second half of the chapter turns to the question of capital availability, ownership, and organization in large- and medium-scale fishing operations. It argues that voluntary collectives (societates, collegia) offered an important solution to the problem of capital availability, since they allowed individuals to pool resources and, through patronage, to widen their social networks.