Ostia
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Scale model of Portus, near Ostia |
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The Temple of the goddess Roma on the Forum of Ostia. |
Ostia is a fraction of the commune of
Rome,
Italy, on the coast facing the
Tyrrhenian Sea. It was the
harbor of
ancient Rome and perhaps its first
colonia.
Origins
Located at the mouth of the River
Tiber, Ostia was said to have been founded by
Ancus Marcius, the fourth
king of Rome, in the
7th century BC. A later inscription records the supposed event [
Anco Marcio regi quarto a Romulo qui ab urbe condita primum coloniam --- deduxit]. However the most ancient
archaeological remains so far discovered are no earlier than the
4th century BC, and the most ancient buildings currently visible are from the
3rd century BC, notably the
Castrum (military camp) and, of a slightly later date, the
Capitolium (
temple of
Jupiter,
Juno and
Minerva). The
opus quadratum, 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.
Although Ostia was probably founded for the sole purpose of military defense â€" since hostile armies could eventually reach Rome by water through the mouth of the
Tiber River â€" in time the port became a very important commercial harbor.
Many of the goods that Rome received from its colonies and provinces passed through Ostia, including the essential
grain supply to the city of Rome. In this role, Ostia soon replaced
Pozzuoli, known to the ancient Romans as
Puteoli, a port near
Naples).
In
87 BC, the town was razed by
Marius, and again in
67 BC it was sacked by
pirates. After this second attack, the town was re-built and provided with protective walls by the statesman and orator
Marcus Tullius Cicero. The town was then further developed during the
1st century AD, mainly under the influence of
Tiberius, who ordered the building of the 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; it has a hexagonal form, in order to reduce the erosive forces of the waves.
The town was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous
lighthouse. 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, public baths and a firefighting service. The mosaic floors of the baths are still visible near today's entrance to the town.
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 harbors, the most important remaining Portus.
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Ostia housed an imperial mint; this coin of Maxentius was struck there. |
Rise and fall of Ostia
Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the
2nd century and in time focused its naval activities on Portus. With the end of the
Roman Empire, Ostia fell slowly into decay, and was finally abandoned in the
9th century due to the fall of the Roman Empire in combination with repeated invasions and sackings by
Arab pirates; the 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 store 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 and the research still continues today. It has been estimated that two thirds of the ancient town have currently been found.
For the naval battle of 849 between Christian and Saracens, see Battle of Ostia.Ostia under fascism
Ostia experienced rejuvenation during the
fascist era, when it was renamed
Lido di Ostia, or
Ostia Lido, or
Lido di Roma,
lido meaning "beach" in Italian. Following the general
urbanised re-planning of Rome, a new
quartiere was created
ex novo in the southern side of the capital city (
EUR), and an acceptable road, dedicated to Italian explorer
Christopher Columbus, was built to connect it with the seaside. Ostia became the beach resort of Rome, and was connected by a
railway before the construction of the Fiumicino airport. The town was re-organized in a pure so-called "
fascist architecture," which recalls some colonial, Mediterranean and rationalist styles, and divided into a coastal side, distributed in small
villas used as second houses by Romans, and a rear side for workers. Ostia became one of the peripheral
quartieri and
borgate created all around Rome for the lower classes.
During the Fascist period many of the structures of Ancient Ostia were renovated or in some cases reconstructed. The whole of the exterior of the Theatre, and much of the interior, date from
1930 to
1933.
However, the fascist renewal was not long enjoyed by Romans, due to the imminence of
World War II, which arrived when part of the works were still in progress; it was only in the
1960s that Ostia began to be used as a
beach and as a
holiday site, effectively becoming a part of the town, and it still is part of the territory of the council of Rome.
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The theatre as seen from the ancient main road. |
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Mosaic floor in the market. |
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Ancient ostia Virtual panoramas and photo gallery (English/Italian)
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Ostia â€" Harbour City of Ancient Rome including an
introduction (English)
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Ostia Antica (Italian/English)
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Extensive photo gallery of Ostia (English)
