Da Roma a Gades/De Roma a Gades is dedicated to the illustrious and beloved archaeologist Simon Keay. It collects the scientific results of the International Workshop held in Rome in September 2019, which discussed the management, elimination and reuse of artisanal and commercial waste in maritime and river ports. Two relevant archaeological finds in recent years (the ‘Nuovo Mercato Testaccio’ in Rome, focused on the recycling of rudera; and the ‘Halieutic Testaccio’ in Gades, dedicated to waste from the fish processing industry), both currently being opened as museums, have constituted the spur to revive the discussion on the fundamental importance of ‘dumps’ for historical reconstruction in Antiquity. A dozen contributions from Italian, Spanish and French colleagues analyze the role of urban waste in the city from multiple perspectives, although most prominently from an archaeological point of view. From the few public examples still known in the Roman world (Monte Testaccio and the new find in Cádiz, possibly managed by that municipium in Baetica) to the problem of selected and unselected waste. Through paradigmatic examples from the Western Mediterranean (from the Palatine or Trastevere in Rome to the unique cases of Augusta Emerita or Arles) the contributors reflect on the ‘typology’ of dumps and their importance for understanding the ways of life of past societies.

Darío Bernal-Casasola is Full Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain, specializing in the Roman Economy and Maritime Archaeology. He studied at Madrid and his main research topics are marine resources exploitation in antiquity and Roman trade. He has directed field projects in Spain, Italy and Morocco.

Alessia Contino is Archaeologist at the Ministry of Culture in Rome, Italy, specializing in Roman economy and trade and harbour and logistic areas. She has studied in Rome, Lecce and Aix-en-Provence and her main research topics are trades between Africa and Rome, amphorae production, trade logistic systems and reuse in Antiquity. She is currently involved in research projects in Rome, Ostia, Pompei and Cosa (Ansedonia).

Renato Sebastiani is an archaeologist at the Ministry of Culture in Rome, Italy. He studied Prehistory at The Sapienza University in Rome and gained a Masters in geoarchaeology. Then he specialized in Roman warehousing, logistics and harbour areas, especially in the main district of Rome, Ostia and Portus. He is director of the Rione Testaccio area and museum and Trastevere in Rome; he was director of Portus archaeological area and supervised the re-opening of the Museo delle navi in Fiumicino (RM) where he is scientific officer.