Shucking the ager Tarraconensis: An archaeomalacological study of a late roman oyster dump at Mas dels Frares (Constantí, Catalonia)

• First archaeomalacological evidence of oyster consumption in a rural Late Antique villa. • Securely contextualised Ostrea edulis deposit dated by AMS radiocarbon analysis. • Episodic oyster consumption documented outside elite urban contexts. • Evidence for near-coastal exploitation of marine resources in the ager Tarraconensis. The exploitation and consumption of oysters in the Roman world are commonly associated with urban and elite contexts, while evidence from rural settlements remains com