Puzzling buildings

An outstanding feature of Ostia of the fourth and early fifth century is a number of richly decorated buildings, a phenomenon that we already witnessed in the city in the second half of the third century. And again we run into the problem of establishing the function: house, seat of a guild, office? Four buildings in particular cause headaches.

The problem arises first of all with two similar groups of rooms facing the Decumanus. Both have been called aula, a hall, by the excavators: the Hall of the Good Shepherd and the Hall of the Group of Mars and Venus. Both were built around 350 AD. The first is a bit to the east of the forum, and has a hall with an enormous wall niche, behind an apsidal hall from the third century. The second hall is a bit further to the east. It has two apses and a raised room with marble columns in the entrance and a marble floor. The buildings are pretty small, so perhaps we should not think of use by the government. The size and small number of rooms exclude a domestic function. Both structures were named after statues that were found inside, but these could well have been dumped there in the early Middle Ages. Perhaps a clue is provided by an inscription found in the apsidal building in front of the Hall of the Good Shepherd (the so-called Basilica). It is a dedication to Gordianus III (238-244 AD) by the lenuncularii traiectus Luculli, the "skippers of Lucullus' crossing", a ferry-service on the Tiber. Such a guild would be useful throughout the history of Ostia.

View of the raised room in the Hall of the Group of Mars and Venus. Photo: Daniel González Acuña.

The so-called schola of Trajan, facing the western Decumanus and built in the second century, was mentioned already in the discussion of the golden years of Ostia. It has often been regarded as the seat (schola) of a guild, but the imposing facade with two enormous niches rather suggests a public function. The idea that it was the office of the Procurator Annonae (of the food supply), forwarded by Christophe Bocherens, is convincing. The back part of the building was remodelled in the years 330-340. The obvious owner in this period would be the Praefectus Annonae, who controlled Ostia and whose activity is also documented in Portus.

The House of the Gorgons was built in the first quarter of the fourth century. The function of the building is discussed in the topic about the area around the Porta Laurentina, where it is argued that this was the office of the Ostian undertakers. An important argument lies in the nature, size and number (three) of Medusa heads in the mosaic floors. All inhabitants of Ostia, regardless of their religious conviction, were obliged to report a death to the libitinarii and to arrange the funeral with them. This means that the building was also visited by Augustinus when his mother Monica had died in the city, in 387 AD. Her death and funeral were described in his Confessiones.

View of the House of the Gorgons. Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.

Plan of the House of the Gorgons. The third Medusa head (in a room on the left side) is mostly lost.
Image: Parco Archeologico di Ostia.