Portus

Last updated
Portus
Fiumicino 03 (RaBoe).jpg
The mouth of the Tiber, with the hexagonal harbour of Portus at upper middle (modern day "Lago Traiano").
Portus
Click on the map to see marker
RegionLazio
Coordinates 41°46′44″N12°15′32″E / 41.779°N 12.259°E / 41.779; 12.259
TypeSettlement, Port
History
Periods Roman Republic
Roman Empire
Cultures Ancient Rome
Site notes
Excavation datesyes
ArchaeologistsGuido Calza; Simon Keay
Public accessYes

Portus was a large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was established by Claudius and enlarged by Trajan to supplement the nearby port of Ostia. [1]

Contents

The archaeological remains of Portus are near the modern-day village of Porto within the comune of Fiumicino, Lazio, just southwest of Rome. [2]

Ancient Portus

Claudian phase

Nero's sestertius, circa 64: ships in Claudius's harbour. On the upper part, the lighthouse. On the lower part, Tiber with a dolphin MBA LYON - Expo Claude - Sesterce Neron Portus.jpg
Nero's sestertius, circa 64: ships in Claudius's harbour. On the upper part, the lighthouse. On the lower part, Tiber with a dolphin

Ancient Rome's original port was Ostia located at the mouth of the Tiber on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Tiber splits into two streams at its mouth, roughly 1 mile before reaching the Tyrrhenian, with Ostia situated on the larger southern stream. Emperor Claudius constructed the first harbour on the Portus site, 4 km (2+12 mi) north of Ostia, enclosing an area of 250 hectares (617 acres), with two long curving moles projecting into the sea, and an artificial island, bearing a lighthouse, in the centre of the space between them. The foundation of this lighthouse was provided by filling one of the massive obelisk ships, used to transport an obelisk from Egypt to adorn the spina of the Circus of Caligula. The harbour opened directly to the sea on the northwest and communicated with the Tiber by a channel on the southeast.

The goal was to obtain protection from the prevalent southwest wind, to which the river mouth was exposed. Though Claudius, in the inscription which he erected in AD 46, stated that he had freed the city of Rome from the danger of inundation, his work was only partially successful: in AD 62 Tacitus speaks of a number of grain ships sinking within the harbour during a violent storm. Nero gave the harbour the name of "Portus Augusti". [1] It was probably Claudius who constructed the new direct road from Rome to Portus, the Via Portuensis , which was 24 km (15 mi) long. The Via Portuensis ran over the hills as far as the modern Ponte Galeria, and then straight across the plain. An older road, the Via Campana , ran along the foot of the hills, following the right bank of the Tiber. It passed the grove of the Arval Brothers at the sixth mile, to the Campus salinarum romanarum, the saltmarsh on the right bank from which it derived its name. [3]

Trajanic phase

Portus: Claudius' first harbour and hexagonal basin extension under Trajan. Portus - Claudius first harbour and hexagonal basin extension under Trajan.jpg
Portus: Claudius' first harbour and hexagonal basin extension under Trajan.

In AD 103, Trajan constructed another harbour farther inland — a hexagonal basin enclosing an area of 39 hectares (97 acres). It communicated by canals with the harbour of Claudius, with the Tiber directly, and with the sea, the last now forming the navigable arm of the Tiber, reopened for traffic by Gregory XIII and again by Paul V. The new canal bore the name Fossa trajana, though its origin is undoubtedly due to Claudius. The basin itself is still preserved, and is now a reedy lagoon. It was surrounded by extensive warehouses, remains of which may still be seen: the fineness of the brickwork of which they are built is remarkable. [1]

Portus was the main port of ancient Rome for more than 500 years and provided a conduit for everything from glass, ceramics, marble and slaves to wild animals caught in Africa and shipped to Rome for spectacles in the Colosseum. [4]

In 2010, "one of the biggest canals ever built by the Romans" was discovered in Portus, in an ancient port increasingly being seen as important as Carthage or Alexandria. It connected Portus with Ostia. It connected to the Fosse Traiana and pointed south. For some 400 years, from the late second century AD into the fifth and sixth centuries, this 100-yard-wide (90 meter) canal was used to ship goods from all over the Empire to Rome. [4]

Effects on Ostia

By means of these works Portus captured the main share of the harbour traffic of Rome. Though the importance of Ostia did not immediately decrease, Portus was already an episcopal see in Constantine's time not very long, if at all, after Ostia, and as the only harbour in the time of the Gothic wars. [1]

Its abandonment dates from the partial silting up of the right arm of the Tiber in the Middle Ages, which restored to Ostia what little traffic was left. To the west of the harbour is the cathedral of Saint Rufina, 10th century, but modernized except for the campanile, and the episcopal palace, fortified in the Middle Ages, and containing a number of ancient inscriptions from the site. On the island Isola Sacra just opposite is the church of S. Ippolito, built on the site of a Roman building, with a picturesque medieval campanile (13th century ?), as well as the Isola Sacra Necropolis. [1] 3.2 km (2 mi) to the west is the modern village of Fiumicino at the mouth of the right arm of the Tiber, which is 34 km (21 mi) west-southwest by rail from Rome. It is a frazione, or portion of the commune of Rome. 5 km (3 mi) to the north is the pumping station by which the lowland, formerly called Stagno di Maccarese, now reclaimed and traversed by many drainage canals, between there and Maccarese is kept drained Bonifica di Maccarese. [1]

Current remains

The site can still be fairly clearly traced in the low ground to the east of Fiumicino. [1] [5] The lighthouse is represented on coins, mosaics, bas-reliefs such as the Torlonia Harbor Relief. The harbour is generally supposed to have been protected by two moles with a breakwater in front, on which stood the lighthouse, with an entrance on each side of it. Trial soundings made in 1907 showed that the course of the right-hand mole is represented by a low sand-hill, while the central breakwater was only some 170 m long, and probably divided from each of the two moles by a channel 135 m wide. [1]

The existence of two entrances is in accordance with the evidence of coins and literary tradition, although the position of that on the left is not certain, and it may have been closed in later times. The whole course of the left-hand mole has not yet been traced, but it seems to have protected not only the south-west but also a considerable portion of the north-west side of the harbour. [1]

Many other remains of buildings exist. They were more easily traceable in the 16th century when Pirro Ligorio and Antonio Labacco made plans of the harbour. Considerable excavations were carried out in 1868, but with the idea of recovering works of art and antiquities. The plan and description given by Rodolfo Lanciani (Annali del institute, 1868, 144 sqq.) were made under unfavourable circumstances. [1]

Medieval and modern town

The division between the ancient settlement and the medieval Porto began in the 4th century AD, when Constantine had a line of walls built.[ citation needed ] Ostia, just opposite on the left bank of the Tiber, was increasingly depopulated after Vandal and Saracen attacks. Porto was the main port on the Tyrrhenian Sea until the 6th century AD. Later it decayed, but maintained some importance as the episcopal see which, from 313, was made independent from that in Ostia. Ostia and Porto both were chosen to be amongst the seven suburbicarian dioceses, which are still in existence, and reserved for the members of the highest order of Catholic Cardinals, the Cardinal Bishops, so the prelates of these otherwise insignificant Roman suburbs outrank all archbishops, even the patriarchs.[ citation needed ]

The remains of Porto are today included administratively in the municipality of Fiumicino. [2]

As part of Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica the remains of Porto are open every Thursday, the first and the third Sunday of the month from 9:30 to 13:30, and upon request and advance booking at other times.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiber</span> Major river in central Italy

The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing 406 km (252 mi) through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the River Aniene, to the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Ostia and Fiumicino. It drains a basin estimated at 17,375 km2 (6,709 sq mi). The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome, which was founded on its eastern banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostia Antica</span> Large archaeological site of a harbour city near Rome, Italy

Ostia Antica is an ancient Roman city and the port of Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber. It is near modern Ostia, 25 km (16 mi) southwest of Rome. Due to silting and the invasion of sand, the site now lies 3 km (2 mi) from the sea. The name Ostia derives from Latin os 'mouth'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isola del Giglio</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Isola del Giglio, or Giglio Island in English, is an Italian island and comune (municipality) in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, and is part of the Province of Grosseto. The island is one of seven that form the Tuscan Archipelago, lying within the Arcipelago Toscano National Park. Giglio means "lily" in Italian, and though the name would appear consistent with the insignia of Medici Florence, it originally derives from the Latin name of the island, Igilium, which in turn could be related to the Ancient Greek name of the neighbouring Capraia, Αἰγύλιον, from αἴξ aíx "goat".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiumicino</span> Comune in Lazio, Italy

Fiumicino is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 80,500 (2019). It is known for being the site of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, the busiest airport in Italy and the ninth-busiest in Europe, which serves Rome and much of central Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civitavecchia</span> Comune in Lazio, Italy

Civitavecchia is a city and major sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea 60 kilometres west-northwest of Rome. Its legal status is a comune (municipality) of Rome, Lazio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Salaria</span> Ancient Roman road in Italy

The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy. It eventually ran from Rome to Castrum Truentinum on the Adriatic coast, a distance of 242 km. The road also passed through Reate (Rieti) and Asculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Severiana</span> Ancient Roman road in central Italy

Via Severiana was an ancient Roman road in central Italy leading in Latium, running southeast from Portus to Tarracina, a distance of 80 Roman miles along the coast. A restoration and reunion of existing roads was carried out with a work of lastrification in 198–209 AD, during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus, in order to connect more quickly the maritime towns of Ostia, Lavinium, Ardea, Antium and the routes that came there from Rome.

The Via Portuensis was an ancient Roman road, leading to the Portus constructed by Claudius on the right bank of the Tiber, at its mouth. It started from the Pons Aemilius, and the first part of its course is identical with that of the Via Campana. The Porta Portuensis of the Aurelian Walls had a double arch, probably owing to the amount of traffic it had to carry, but the divergence occurred a good deal further on, probably a mile from the gate. The Via Portuensis went to the right into hilly country, while the Via Campana kept to the valley of the Tiber. The roads rejoined at the modern Ponte Galeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Ostiensis</span> Roman road from Rome to Ostia, Italy

The Via Ostiensis was an important road in ancient Rome. It ran west 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the city of Rome to its important sea port of Ostia Antica, from which it took its name. The road began near the Forum Boarium, ran between the Aventine Hill and the Tiber River along its left (eastern) bank, and left the city's Servian Walls through the Porta Trigemina. When the later Aurelian Walls were built, the road left the city through the Porta Ostiensis. In the Late Roman Empire, trade suffered under an economic crisis, and Ostia declined as an important port. With the accompanying growth of importance of the Via Portuensis from the time of Constantine onwards, that of the Via Ostiensis correspondingly decreased. Modern Via Ostiense, following a similar path, is the main connection of Rome to Ostia together with the Via del Mare. On its way to Ostia, the road passes by the important basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostia Antica (district)</span> District in Rome, Italy

Ostia Antica is the 35th zona of Rome, Italy, four kilometers away from the coast. It is identified by the initials Z. XXXV and it is distinct from Ostia. Ostia Antica belongs to Municipio X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostia (Rome)</span> Frazione in Lazio, Italy

Ostia is a large neighbourhood in the Municipio X of the comune of Rome, Italy, near the ancient port of Rome, which is now a major archaeological site known as Ostia Antica. Ostia is also the only municipio or district of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea, and many Romans spend the summer holidays there. It is entirely situated within the municipality of Rome and is the city's seaside resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isola Sacra</span> Island in Italy

Isola Sacra is situated in the Lazio region of Italy south of Rome, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is part of the town of Fiumicino.

Caligula's "Giant Ship", also known as the "Round Ship", was a very large barge, the ruins of which were found during the construction of Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino, Italy, in the 1950s. This was previously a Roman port a few kilometres north of Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber River. The ship was dated to c. 37 AD using dendrochronological dating methods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isola Sacra Necropolis</span> Large-scale pagan cemetery in Rome

The Isola Sacra Necropolis was the first large-scale pagan cemetery of Roman Imperial times to be excavated. The excavator-in-chief of most of Isola Sacra was Guido Calza. The necropolis was found on the manmade island of Isola Sacra, which lies between the cities of Portus and Ostia Antica, a region just south of Rome. The emperor Trajan was in power when this artificial island was created. Much of the excavated necropolis flanked the Via Severiana, which ran through Isola Sacra and traveled southeast from Ostica to Terracina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circeii</span> Ancient Roman city

Circeii was an ancient Roman city on the site of modern San Felice Circeo and near Mount Circeo, the mountain promontory on the southwest coast of Italy. The area around Circeii and Mount Circeo was thickly populated with Roman villas and other buildings, of which the remains of many can still be seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fregenae</span> Frazione in Lazio, Italy

Fregenae was a maritime town of ancient Etruria, situated between Alsium and the mouth of the Tiber. The modern Fregene is an Italian hamlet (frazione) of Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio. As of 2012 its population was of 6,445.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Civitavecchia</span> Port in Italy

Port of Civitavecchia, also known as "Port of Rome", or Civitavecchia Port of Rome, is the seaport of Civitavecchia, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is an important hub for the maritime transport in Italy, for goods and passengers. The Rome Cruise Terminal is part of the port. Part of the "Motorways of the Sea", it is linked to several Mediterranean ports and represents one of the main links between the Italian mainland and Sardinia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rome–Fiumicino railway</span>

The Rome–Fiumicino railway is an urban railway line in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Litorale Romano State Nature Reserve</span>

The Litorale Romano state nature reserve is a protected area in Lazio (Italy), established by the Ministry of the Environment with Ministerial Decree of March 29, 1996, which includes a large territory of historical-naturalistic interest within the municipalities of Rome and Fiumicino at Tiber Valley.
With its over 17,000 hectares, discontinuously distributed along the Lazio coast between Palidoro and Capocotta, it is the largest protected area overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Its management is entrusted to the two municipalities in their respective sections of competence.

The Marina of Rome is a tourist port that rises along the banks of Ostia, in the Municipality of Rome (Italy).

References

Attribution

Further reading