Ostia Antica


Mappa di Ostia Antica

The port system of Rome

FROM THE RIVER PORT OF OSTIA TO THE SEAPORTS OF CLAUDIUS AND TRAJAN

Ostia may be considered, since its origins, the outer harbour of the city of Rome: its very name was derived from the fact that it was situated at the mouth (ostium) of the Tiber River.
The original military function of the river port of Ostia was soon replaced by the commercial function connected with the increased needs of the city of Rome.
This role did not end even when, because of the size and draught of the cargo ships (naves onerariae) that were unable to enter the Tiber, much of the high sea navigation had to be routed to Pozzuoli. The goods, unloaded there, were then reloaded onto medium-tonnage ships that reached Ostia. Here, after the necessary layover at the warehouses, they were transported to Rome on barges (naves caudicariae) suitable for navigating the Tiber.
Ostia’s importance as a port of Rome is evident in the large number of buildings used as warehouses (horrea), which are still well-preserved today within the archaeological area. The Piazzale delle Corporazioni, also, provides a vivid image of the city’s commercial activity in the
2nd century A.D.
When the river port of Ostia and the seaport of Pozzuoli became insufficient, in 42 A.D. the Port of Claudius was constructed three kilometres north of the mouth of the Tiber
It was in part dug into the mainland, and in part enclosed toward the sea by two curved moles converging toward an artificial island on which stood a huge signalling lighthouse. Artificial canals connected the port basin to the Tiber. The remains of the northern mole and the buildings that stood along the wharf can be seen today in the area surrounding the Ship Museum of Fiumicino. This museum also exhibits the remains of five boats from the Roman age that were found in the port area. Because of the lack of safety and the progressive silting of the Port of Claudius, the Port of Trajan, whose monumental remains can be seen in the Archaeological Park, was built between 100 and 112 A.D. The heart of the new port complex, created further inland than the Port of Claudius, was a large hexagonal basin connected to the Tiber
by an artificial canal, the Fossa Traiana (Canale di Fiumicino).

Terme dei Cisiarii

Terme di Nettuno

Caseggiato del Serapide

Mappa di Ostia Antica

mitreo delle 7 Sfere

Ostia Antica is a large archeological site that was the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 kilometers (~20 miles) northeast of the site. “Ostia” in Latin means “mouth”. At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome’s seaport, but, due to silting, the site now lies 3 kilometers (~2 miles) from the sea. The site is noted for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings and magnificent frescoes.

Ostia was, perhaps, Rome’s first colonia..”[citation needed] Ostia was said to have been founded by Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome.”[citation needed], in the 7th century BC. A later inscription refers to the event: “Ancus Marcius, the fourth of the kings from Romulus after the founding of the city [Rome] founded this first colony.” However the most ancient archaeological remains so far discovered are no older than the 4th century BC..” The most ancient buildings currently visible are from the 3rd century BC, notably the Castrum (military camp); of a slightly later date is the Capitolium (temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva).”. The opus quadratum of the walls of the original castrum at Ostia provide important evidence for the building techniques that were employed in Roman urbanisation during the period of the Middle Republic.”.

In 68 BC, the town was sacked by pirates. During the sacking, the port was set on fire, the consular war fleet was destroyed, and two prominent senators were kidnapped. This attack caused such panic in Rome that Pompey Magnus arranged for the tribune Aulus Gabinius to rise in the Roman Forum and propose a law, the Lex Gabinia, to allow Pompey to raise an army and destroy the pirates. Within a year, the pirates had been defeated.

The town was then re-built, and provided with protective walls by the statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.

The town was further developed during the first century AD under the influence of Tiberius, who ordered the building of the town’s first Forum..” The town was also soon enriched by the construction of a new harbor on the northern mouths of the Tiber (which reaches the sea with a larger mouth in Ostia, Fiumara Grande, and a narrower one near to the current Fiumicino International Airport)..” The new harbor, not surprisingly called Portus, from the Latin for “harbor,” was excavated from the ground at the orders of the emperor Claudius..” This harbour became silted up and needed to be supplemented later by a harbor built by Trajan finished in the year AD 113; it has a hexagonal form, in order to reduce the erosive forces of the waves. This took business away from Ostia itself (further down river) and began its commercial decline..”

Ostia itself was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous lighthouse. Ostia contained the Ostia Synagogue, the earliest synagogue yet identified in Europe; it created a stir when it was unearthed in 1960-61. By 1954 eighteen mithraea had also been discovered: Mithras had his largest following among the working population that were the majority of this port town. Archaeologists also discovered the public latrinas, organized for collective use as a series of seats that allow us to imagine today that the function was also a social moment. In addition, Ostia had a large theatre, many public baths, numerous taverns and inns, and a firefighting service. .”

Trajan too, required a widening of the naval areas, and ordered the building of another harbor, again pointing towards the north. It must be remembered that at a relatively short distance, there was also the harbor of Civitavecchia (Centum Cellae), and Rome was starting to have a significant number of harbours, the most important remained Portus..”

Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, reaching a peak of some 75,000 inhabitants in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. mannaia l’Ostia became an episcopal see as early as the 3rd century, the cathedral (titulus) of Santa Aurea being located on the burial site of St. Monica, mother of Augustine; she died in an inn in the town. In time, naval activities became focused on Portus instead. A slow decadence began in the late Roman era around the time of Constantine I, with the town ceasing to be an active port and instead becoming a popular country retreat for rich aristocrats from Rome itself (along the lines of Brighton’s relationship to London in the 18th century).

The decaying conditions of the city were mentioned by St. Augustine when he passed there in the late 4th century..” The poet Rutilius Namatianus also reported the lack of maintenance of the city in 414.

With the end of the Roman Empire, Ostia fell slowly into decay, and was finally abandoned in the 9th century due to the repeated invasions and sackings by Arab pirates, including the Battle of Ostia, a naval battle in 849 between Christian and Saracens; the remaining inhabitants moved to Gregoriopolis..”

In the Middle Ages, bricks from buildings in Ostia were used for several other occasions. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was entirely built of material originally belonging to Ostia.

A “local sacking” was carried out by baroque architects, who used the remains as a sort of marble storehouse for the palazzi they were building in Rome..”. Soon after, foreign explorers came in search of ancient statues and objects. The Papacy started organizing its own investigations with Pope Pius VII; under Mussolini massive excavations were undertaken from 1938 to 1942..”. The first volume of the official series Scavi di Ostia appeared in 1954; it was devoted to a topography of the town by Italo Gismondi and after a hiatus the research still continues today..”. Though untouched areas adjacent to the original excavations were left undisturbed awaiting a more precise dating of Roman pottery types, the “Baths of the Swimmer”, named for the mosaic figure in the apodyterium, were meticulously excavated, 1966-70 and 1974-75, in part as a training ground for young archaeologists and in part to establish a laboratory of well-understood finds as a teaching aid..”. It has been estimated that two thirds of the ancient town have currently been found..”Ostia Antica is a large archeological site that was the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 kilometers (~20 miles) northeast of the site. “Ostia” in Latin means “mouth”. At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome’s seaport, but, due to silting, the site now lies 3 kilometers (~2 miles) from the sea. The site is noted for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings and magnificent frescoes.

Ostia was, perhaps, Rome’s first colonia..”[citation needed] Ostia was said to have been founded by Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome.”[citation needed], in the 7th century BC. A later inscription refers to the event: “Ancus Marcius, the fourth of the kings from Romulus after the founding of the city [Rome] founded this first colony.” However the most ancient archaeological remains so far discovered are no older than the 4th century BC..” The most ancient buildings currently visible are from the 3rd century BC, notably the Castrum (military camp); of a slightly later date is the Capitolium (temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva).”. The opus quadratum of the walls of the original castrum at Ostia provide important evidence for the building techniques that were employed in Roman urbanisation during the period of the Middle Republic.”.

In 68 BC, the town was sacked by pirates. During the sacking, the port was set on fire, the consular war fleet was destroyed, and two prominent senators were kidnapped. This attack caused such panic in Rome that Pompey Magnus arranged for the tribune Aulus Gabinius to rise in the Roman Forum and propose a law, the Lex Gabinia, to allow Pompey to raise an army and destroy the pirates. Within a year, the pirates had been defeated.

The town was then re-built, and provided with protective walls by the statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.”.

The town was further developed during the first century AD under the influence of Tiberius, who ordered the building of the town’s first Forum..” The town was also soon enriched by the construction of a new harbor on the northern mouths of the Tiber (which reaches the sea with a larger mouth in Ostia, Fiumara Grande, and a narrower one near to the current Fiumicino International Airport)..” The new harbor, not surprisingly called Portus, from the Latin for “harbor,” was excavated from the ground at the orders of the emperor Claudius..” This harbour became silted up and needed to be supplemented later by a harbor built by Trajan finished in the year AD 113; it has a hexagonal form, in order to reduce the erosive forces of the waves. This took business away from Ostia itself (further down river) and began its commercial decline..”

Ostia itself was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous lighthouse. Ostia contained the Ostia Synagogue, the earliest synagogue yet identified in Europe; it created a stir when it was unearthed in 1960-61. By 1954 eighteen mithraea had also been discovered: Mithras had his largest following among the working population that were the majority of this port town. Archaeologists also discovered the public latrinas, organized for collective use as a series of seats that allow us to imagine today that the function was also a social moment. In addition, Ostia had a large theatre, many public baths, numerous taverns and inns, and a firefighting service. .”

Trajan too, required a widening of the naval areas, and ordered the building of another harbor, again pointing towards the north. It must be remembered that at a relatively short distance, there was also the harbor of Civitavecchia (Centum Cellae), and Rome was starting to have a significant number of harbours, the most important remained Portus..”

Capitolium

Thermopolium

Ostia housed a late imperial mint; this coin of Maxentius was struck there.

Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, reaching a peak of some 75,000 inhabitants in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. mannaia l’Ostia became an episcopal see as early as the 3rd century, the cathedral (titulus) of Santa Aurea being located on the burial site of St. Monica, mother of Augustine; she died in an inn in the town. In time, naval activities became focused on Portus instead. A slow decadence began in the late Roman era around the time of Constantine I, with the town ceasing to be an active port and instead becoming a popular country retreat for rich aristocrats from Rome itself (along the lines of Brighton’s relationship to London in the 18th century).

The decaying conditions of the city were mentioned by St. Augustine when he passed there in the late 4th century..” The poet Rutilius Namatianus also reported the lack of maintenance of the city in 414.

With the end of the Roman Empire, Ostia fell slowly into decay, and was finally abandoned in the 9th century due to the repeated invasions and sackings by Arab pirates, including the Battle of Ostia, a naval battle in 849 between Christian and Saracens; the remaining inhabitants moved to Gregoriopolis..”

In the Middle Ages, bricks from buildings in Ostia were used for several other occasions. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was entirely built of material originally belonging to Ostia.

A “local sacking” was carried out by baroque architects, who used the remains as a sort of marble storehouse for the palazzi they were building in Rome..”. Soon after, foreign explorers came in search of ancient statues and objects. The Papacy started organizing its own investigations with Pope Pius VII; under Mussolini massive excavations were undertaken from 1938 to 1942..”. The first volume of the official series Scavi di Ostia appeared in 1954; it was devoted to a topography of the town by Italo Gismondi and after a hiatus the research still continues today..”. Though untouched areas adjacent to the original excavations were left undisturbed awaiting a more precise dating of Roman pottery types, the “Baths of the Swimmer”, named for the mosaic figure in the apodyterium, were meticulously excavated, 1966-70 and 1974-75, in part as a training ground for young archaeologists and in part to establish a laboratory of well-understood finds as a teaching aid..”. It has been estimated that two thirds of the ancient town have currently been found..”

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