Lighthouse Factory and Necropolis

Next to the village, there used to be industrial premises dating back to the first century A.D. Pools were found covered with sealing material (‘opus signinum’) which used to belong to a salting factory and a ‘ganan’ plant (‘ganan’ was a fish-based sauce, quite popular in the Roman world). Fish was dried, salted and packed here, using containers made in the adjoining kilns. Then they were shipped to other locations in the Empire. Thus, the sea was both the vessel and the source of raw materials.

Some time later, the factory premises became a burial place, as shown by the fact that fourth-century graves were found lying on the pools. It was valuable evidence on the functioning of the Roman civilisation, on how a factory no longer active could be transformed into a cemetery. Moreover, the bodies and other remains found give information on the Roman burial system. Another necropolis in the area (now lost to urban development) contained tombs from the first to fourth centuries, which proves the site was a large population centre.

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