Abstract
Yolanda Peña, whose acclaimed thesis on wine and oil production in Spain provided the opportunity to exploit a large number of archaeological publications, presented a review of the available documentation on crafts in the Iberian Peninsula, focusing on the various craft and agricultural productions attested in ancient cities. She showed that the study of urban crafts in recent years is less advanced in Spain than in Italy or Gaul, with the exception of the salting of fish, wine and olive oil, the preparation of bread (mills and bakeries) and, of course, pottery and glassware. Textile craftsmanship, which played a fundamental role in improving well-being during the late Republic and early centuries of the Roman Empire, is very difficult to identify archaeologically, except in the case of fabric dyeing and fulling factories. Many other crafts well known in Italy have yet to be detected in the Iberian Peninsula: perfumery, tannery, basketry, woodworking, etc. In conclusion, Yolanda Peña focused on the city of Barcino, present-day Barcelona, where she is taking part in a research project with Barcelona City Council's archaeological department to determine the city's economic foundations in antiquity.
