Ostia - Location

Ostia is Latin for "mouth", the mouth of the river Tiber. In the Republican period the river entrance was used as harbour, and in the Imperial period two huge harbour basins were added to the north, near Leonardo da Vinci airport. The harbour district was called Portus, Latin for "harbour".

The ancient Roman city of Ostia was in antiquity situated at the mouth of the river Tiber, some 30 kilometres to the west of Rome, and on the Mediterranean sea. However, the shoreline moved seawards from the Middle Ages until the 19th century, due to the deposition of sediments transported by the Tiber. The current beach is three kilometres away, in Lido di Ostia. Ostia is today still lying next to the Tiber, but the river runs along part of Ostia only. It is a meandering river, and in 1557 a branch was cut off by a major inundation of the river. This branch gradually filled in, and is now called Dead River (Fiume Morto). This old meander can still be seen as a wide dip in the terrain, to the right of the modern road that leads from the ticket office to the museum.

From Rome to Ostia and Portus. In the lower left part are Ostia and Portus, separated by an artificial island, the Isola Sacra, created by a branch of the Tiber and a Roman canal. The Via Ostiensis, followed by an aqueduct, connects Ostia and Rome. The modern railway more or less follows its course. The Via Portuensis led from Portus to Rome. Between the two roads the meandering Tiber can be seen. To the east and north of Ostia and Portus are salt-pans (salinae). Near the modern town Acilia, further to the east, several archaeological discoveries have been made as well: villas and the ancient settlement Ficana. On the coast to the south of Ostia was an endless series of villas, including one that was owned by Pliny the Younger.