An enormous fish processing factory, one the greatest exports of
Felicitas Iulia Olisipo, built on a site that, at the time, was outside the city limits.
A rectangular layout, with 16 thousand square feet in area, this unit had a maximum production capacity of about 18 thousand cubic feet, enough to fill 15 thousand
amphorae.
The complex operated during around 500 years, between the 1
st or 2
nd century AD until the 5
th or 6
th century, although the production intensity was not constant through time.
The thirty-four excavated
cetariae were organized around a central terrace. Between this terrace and the main row of tanks, there was a circulation corridor, containing smaller
cetariae and some circular structures, related with cleaning the production unit.
Large part of the remains date to the final period of the factory's operation, but the discovery of a significant group of Dressel 14
amphorae allowed researchers to date beginning of production to the 1
st or 2
nd century AD.
This fish-processing complex was very important to the economy of the Tagus estuary and the
Lusitania province, in addition to representing an innovative spatial organization for this type of establishment, located across a more extensive riverside area than previously thought. Until its identification, the known units were concentrated in present-day downtown, around the Tagus channel and riverside area, while the Belém Tower Governor's House is located in the city's hinterland.
Part of the remains are visible on the location.