L'alimentation en eau du complexe artisanal de Loron (Tar-Vabriga, Croatie) : analyse technique et fonction d'un grand réservoir d'eau et sa fontaine au sein de l'atelier d'amphores

International audienceLoron (Tar–Vabriga, Croatia) is a large Roman property implanted around 10 AD on the territory of the colony of Parentium (Poreˇc). It occupies the whole surface area of a maritime mull between the bays of Cervar Porat to the South and Santa Marina to the North. Since 1994, the excavations led by an international team have unearthed the economic cluster of the domain, with the discovery of a large artisanal complex mainly dedicated to the production of oil amphorae Dressel 6B. By its dimensions and the volume of the production, it constitutes one of the largest workshops in the North of the Adriatic. It reflects the booming of the speculative oil culture, mainly intended for export towards Northern Italy and the Danubian limes. Thanks to the stamps on the amphorae, we can know the first owners of the figlina of Loron: Sisenna Statilius Taurus –cos 16 AD, the son of the great Statilius, a friend of Augustus–, then other members of the senatorial elite as Calvia Crispinilla. From Domitius to Hadrian, Loron becomes the property of emperors. The archaeological data show that the workshop is active up to the beginning of the 4th, before a long period of despoilment until the end of the 5th century AD.The artisanal complex is a large planified building, implanted ex nihilo along the sea front (171m in length) on the South coast of the headland. It is divided into two modules by a ramp sloping to the sea. The amphora workshop is placed in the Eastern module. It is characterized by the functionality of the production spaces, with its kilns and warehouses, organised around a vast central courtyard. Water, necessary to clay treatmentand ceramic production, is supplied by a large reservoir built in the Northwest corner of the courtyard : it provides water to a little fountain situated on its southern wall. The interpretation of this atypical structure will be discussed to precise both its function inside the workshop and the particularities of its architecture ; it will be also compared to another big cistern recently discovered on the Northern shore of the promontory, inside a large residential area interpreted as the aristocratic villa of Loron owners