Ostia

The main port of Rome situated west of the city at the mouth of the River Tiber. Extensive excavations have taken place in recent times and show that the port was established in the 4th century bc with a fort and stone defences. The demands of Rome's growing population, especially for corn imports, soon forced the port to grow and in the early 1st century bc it covered at least 64ha and was defended by substantial walls.

Silting and changes to the coastline were always a problem, however, and in ad 42 additional breakwaters and new docks were built under the Emperor Claudius a short distance back from the mouth of the Tiber itself. Later, Trajan constructed a hexagonal inner harbour capable of taking 100 ships at a time, connected to the Tiber by a canal, and surrounded by warehouses and port facilities. The Square of Corporations contained offices for merchants and traders from all over the Mediterranean world, and the port also contained tenement houses, baths, temples, and a synagogue. The site was largely abandoned as a major port in the 5th century ad.

[Sum.: A. Gallina Zevi and A. Claridge (eds.), 1996, Roman Ostia. London: British School at Rome]