Ostia

At the beginning of the 4th century BC the Romans constructed a small fort between the Tiber mouth and the sea. The port was designed as a river port. From the second half of the second century BC some buildings were built next to that. So a town arose by degrees.

According to the excavation discoveries the archeologists presume, that the construction of the Portus Ostia (about 3 km in the north), which began in AD 42, had not negative economically consequences to Ostia until the 3. century AD. The Tiber runs also today next to Ostia, however much straight. The formerly near sea is today through silting up about 4 km away. The good preservation of the remains is presumably to be owed to this circumstance and to the circulation of malaria.

Necropolis, town gates, decumanus and cardo maximus are to be seen. Various horrea are a sign of the use as a port.

Furthermore various thermal springs with some impressive mosaics are to be seen. Next to the theater is the place of the guilds with the offices of the trade missions of enterprises and traders.

The capitolium is on the forum. Other temples are not missing of course. The basilica is next to the forum.