Resumen de La manifattura del cuoio nell’Italia romana
The article presents a collection of data on what is known to date about the processing and transformation of raw hides into leather. The geographical area of reference is the Italic peninsula; the chronological horizon is the Roman and Late Antique age. Starting from a reconsideration of the procedural sequence, the work proposes an overall reading of all the tanning plants that have been documented so far in the Italic peninsula in order to: bring out the specificities of each context; shed light on the functional arrangements for production; identify any common features. Particular attention is paid to the methodological issue of identifying and interpreting possible indicators of production in the absence of structrues. Finally, the analysis addresses, respectively, the relationship between tanneries and the urban context; between tanning manufacture and the economy; between operators in the sector and society. It is hoped that the overall approach to the proposed topic will allow the distinctive features of a strategic and complex manufacturing activity, certainly not peripherical and marginalised, to emerge.
