Patara's Main Street flanked by Marble Columns lead directly to the Commercial Harbor
Readers following this blog must have noticed my interest in the Roman grain trade. Feeding the empire’s capital with 1 million people required a sophisticated system and a lot of effort. In one of my previous blogs I estimated that Rome needed 300’000 tons of wheat every year. Add another 150’000 tons for the Legions. We get quickly to half a million tons of grain which requires 1’500 ships at 300 tons. The cargo ships bringing grain from Alexandria in Egypt could do one tour only. The boats sailing to Carthage or Sicily did two. In any case, at least 1’200 freighters were cruising the waves for the grain trade alone.
The Horrea of Hadrian (Granary of Hadrian) drawn by Francis Bedford in 1810
Shipping the grain was only one of the many challenges. The cereals from far away had to be protected from humidity and mice. Not only at the final destination but also on the way to Rome. Not every ship made it back on time during the short sailing season from mid-June to mid-October. There was often a need for interim storage on the way. If grain could not reach Rome the same season, it was stored for the next one. Every June, sailing west to Rome started again,
The Horrea in Patara these days - wonder who "appropriated" the Stones since 1810
We know from Saint Paul’s trip to Rome how risky late departure could be. His boat got caught in a storm soon after leaving Crete and was blown off course. Several days later it shipwrecked on Malta’s coast. During the ordeal, Saint Paul’s travel companions had to throw the valuable cargo overboard to stay afloat. He had them pray together - everybody survived. They had no idea where they were - the overcast sky had not allowed them to locate their position with the help of the stars.
The Portus Romanus, enlarged by Trajan, could accommodate 250 - 300 Ships
The uninterrupted flow of grain was vital for Rome, the Legions and the survival of the Emperors. They all invested heavily into port infrastructure. Ship building, chartering of boats, hiring of sailors & financing the trips was left to the private sector. But harbors, piers, wave breakers, light houses and granaries were built and provided by the state. Am sure Rome charged a fat fee for the service. As these days, there was no free lunch at the time.
On the Way to Patara we crossed the still largely intact Aqueduct
Noticed this again in Patara which we visited in the morning before the summer heat struck. Our original plan was to “park” the Dragonfly off Patara Beach and go in by tender. But the swell was too strong for the dingy. We had to call for taxis and approach the site by land. The detour had its benefits though. We discovered the long aqueduct which elegantly followed the slopes of the hills between Patara and where we anchored the Dragonfly.
Patara's Theatre and the restored Council House - Old Harbor is to the Left of the Photo
Patara was a big city even though its theatre had only a seating capacity of 7’000 visitors. This indicates a town size of 35’000 people. The site feels larger though. It was settled since around 3’000 BC, became a Hellenistic port, was then used by the Romans as entrepot for their trade with Asia, the Levant and Egypt and eventually served Byzantium as a fleet base. The town walls date back to the Byzantine Empire. Most other structures - except churches - are older. The town is a potpourri of architectural styles. Some buildings are carefully built – others betray sheer haste and recycled previously used material.
The Roman contribution to the town was a big granary, a larger harbor, an impressive main road leading to the harbor and a big light house which is currently reconstructed by Turkish engineers. When the tower collapsed, the stones fell neatly on the ground and surprisingly were left alone. Now they are being put together again – quite an impressive feat.
How the reconstructed Lighthouse will look like once finished
Wondered why the Romans would actually build a lighthouse. The only answer I could come up with was that many ships arrived at night and had to navigate through the treacherous islands nearby. With no compass and no maps, ships followed the stars to benefit from the gentle land breeze that sets in at dusk. Must have been a magnificent sight, seeing these cargo ships gliding at night into the harbor.
The Patara Lighthouse must have used the same Techniques as the Tower in Alexandria
As many other harbors in Asia Minor, the Patara port silted and hade to be given up. Today, it is cut off from the sea by 200-meter-wide sand dune. Alluvial material from the river Xanthos a few kilometers to the west is the culprit. It is not any different from Miletus, Ephesus or Fréjus, ancient ports which we visited in previous years.
Patara Dunes - Theatre behind the soft Hill - Lighthouse just visible 1/3 from the Left
At first glance, I thought that the Roman Emperors built infrastructure for the sake of their popularity - to make people happy by giving them theatres, aqueducts, fountains and temples. Having seen Phaselis, Myra and Patara broadened my mind. It was probably taxes. Roman taxes had four pillars: No 1: War Loot, No 2: Tributes from conquered people, No 3: trade and No 4: Poll tax. No 1 was irregular, No 2 was ok. No 3 was massive, No 4 not substantial. Specifically Hadrian, who forswore further expansion of the Empire and pulled back behind the pre-Trajan borders, needed to replace state income from plundering other nations. What better than investing in trading infrastructure and boost No 3 to keep his treasury full and the empire solvent? Makes perfect sense to me.
Returning from Patara - we were drenched in Sweat - it was almost 40 Celsius by 11 a
By 11 am we had to “retreat” from Patara – a few of us wanted to visit the old light house but it was too far away in this summer heat. Better getting back on the Dragonfly and set course for the Saint Nicholas Monastery where we want to anchor tonight.
Measuring Grain for Retail Distribution - Mosaic from Ostia, Rome's Harbour
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