Introduction

Antium, modern Anzio, is located on the coast some 45 kilometers to the south of Ostia. In modern history it is best known for the Allied amphibious landing in 1944, Operation Shingle. In antiquity the city had a long history. Burial places have been excavated from the Bronze Age (8th-7th century BC) and Iron Age (4th-2nd century AD). There are various legendary traditions about the foundation. It is said to have been founded by Anteias, a son of Odysseus and Circe, by Ascanius, a son of Aeneas, and by Antiades, son of Hercules and Aglaea. The oldest settlement was surrounded by a wall of large tufa blocks (opus quadratum) and a moat that was 20 meters wide. Here we will focus on the late-Republican and Imperial period. The city is famous for a large villa used by many Emperors, including Nero, who was staying there when the fire of Rome broke out in 64 AD.

The first discoveries were reported in the early 17th century. Many casual discoveries were made afterwards. Unfortunately, much was damaged by marine erosion or removed completely, and known only through old drawings, for example by Giuseppe Rocco Volpi.

Click on the image to enlarge. View of the remains of the Imperial palace on the coast. Image: Volpi 1726, Tab. I.

Finds are in the Museo Civico Archeologico in Anzio, but many were taken to museums elsewhere, in Italy and in other countries, for example to the Museo Nazionale Romano and Musei Capitolini in Rome, and to the Louvre in Paris.

General plan. Image: Arachne.

---