Ostia: the Port of Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was located about 20 miles from the sea. Although barges could be towed up the Tiber to the city, it was difficult for large ships to make the journey, especially when summer droughts diminished the current. As a result, virtually all of the thousands of ships that carried grain, olive oil, wine, and other trade goods into Rome had to dock in or near Ostia at the Tiber's mouth. Initially little more than a small fortified settlement, Ostia grew into a thriving city of nearly 50,000 inhabitants during the early imperial era, when the emperors constructed a large artificial harbor to accommodate the rising tide of imports from the provinces. Most of Ostia's buildings date to the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, when the new port and thriving economy motivated a series of massive construction projects, some paid for by the emperors themselves. Although Ostia never had a monumental center to rival those of other great ports like Putioli or Carthage, it was equipped with impressive public buildings, such as the Baths of Neptune. Rebuilt, like so much of the city, under Hadrian, the baths are famous for well-preserved mosaic floors, which represent Neptune with a host of myriads and sea creatures. Equally impressive, in their way, are Ostia's Horea, large brick warehouses with central courtyards designed to store goods awaiting shipment up the Tiber to Rome. The centrality of commerce at Ostia is even more visible at the Piazzale della Corporazione, a plaza lined by porticos that sheltered the offices of merchant and shipbuilding associations from across the empire. Black-and-white mosaics advertise the services offered by these associations, which included importing everything from African ivory to Spanish garum. Unique, though the piazzale is, the most remarkable ruins in Ostia are the insulae that line many streets. These apartment buildings, often four or five stories tall, owe their preservation to the solid brick-faced concrete of their walls. The ground floors of many insulae were leased to restaurants or taverns, such as this example, which still features the marble counter at which customers were served. The best apartments in an insula were typically on the second floor, close enough to the ground to have private latrines and easy street access. Such luxury units might be decorated with elegant frescoes and mosaics. Apartments on higher floors tended to be small and austere. As Ostia's population fell in late antiquity, many of the apartment buildings along the now-quiet streets were converted into sprawling second homes by Roman aristocrats. With their towering insulae, the streets of Ostia allow us to glimpse the lost neighborhoods of Rome. But they have a character all their own, a sense of the bustling and cosmopolitan port city that fell silent 15 centuries ago. Unlike Pompeii, with which it is often compared, Ostia is almost never crowded now. It's still possible to wander the site undisturbed and follow overgrown paths to hidden treasures. For more on Ostia, check out the linked video, in which I discuss two famous Roman coins that show the city's port. Stay tuned on this channel for many more Roman sites. And as always, thanks for watching.