Ostia
[[]]
Location
Ostia is the location of the harbor city of ancient Rome, 15 miles (25 kilometres) southwest of Rome.
"Ostia" (plur. of "ostium") is a derivation of "os", the Latin word for "mouth". At the mouth of the River
Tiber, Ostia is Rome's principle seaport.
History
Origins
Ostia may have been Rome's first colonia. According to legend, Ancus Marcius,
only 17 km (11 mi) from Rome and had a small harbor on the Tiber, and then proceeded
with establishing the new colony 10 km (6 mi) further west and closer to the sea coast.
An inscription seems to confirm the establishment of the old castrum of Ostia in the
7th century BC. The oldest archaeological remains so far discovered date back to only
the 4th century BC.[4] 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 urbanization during the period of the Middle Republic.
Places of Interest
- ~ [[]]
Religious Sites
Trade
