Porto Torres - the harbour

Books have been written about Turris Libisonis; here we present only a few glimpses of the Roman remains.

1: basilica of San Gavino; 2: horrea; 3-4-7: baths; 5-6 - houses; 8: Roman bridge; 9-13: necropoles.
Plan of the city with indication of archaeological monuments. From Mastino-Vismara 1994.

Near the harbour remains have been found of a warehouse (horrea; nr. 2 on the plan). They have been dated to the late second century AD.

During work in the harbour in 2007 a most interesting bronze plaque was found (16,3 x 12,5 x 0,1 cm). In the centre is a female head of silver. The plaque was attached to something with two nails passing through holes. It carries the text:

FLAVIAE PVBLICIAE V(IRGINIS) V(ESTALIS) MAXIMAE IMMVNIS IN NAV(i)CELLA MARINA CVNBVS PORTENSIS PARASEMO PORPHYRIS EUDROMVS

Of Flavia Publicia, Vestal virgin, the greatest. Duty-free for her sea ship, the harbour boat with the ensign Porphyris. Eudromus.

The bronze plaque. Photo: Wikimedia, Gianni Careddu.

A certain Eudromus was responsible for putting up the plaque. The boat is called Portensis, which could well mean that her seaworthy yacht was registered in Portus. The plaque was presumably attached to the hull of the yacht.

Flavia Publicia was already known from Rome, through eight marble statue bases in the Atrium Vestae, dated to around 250 AD. A different grant of exemption for her is attested by two very similar plaques, one from Rome and now in the Vatican Museums, the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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