Pushing the boundaries of ‘beyond London’ here, but wanted to share some pictures taken of Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome. Brought to our attention by Mary Beard and her excellent TV show ‘Meet the Romans’.
Ostia kept Rome’s population fed with imported grain from Africa – freely dispensed to citizens to keep them content!
The extensive remains leave little to the imagination; showing the commercial, religious, residential and entertainment areas that occupied the lives of appropriately 100,000 people – from a few centuries BC to around 180AD. Ostia’s demise was caused by silting up of the port and the emergence of a new port further north.
Tip: take your swimmers, Ostia also has an extensive sandy beach!
For more information please see:
https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it
Photos (c) Essential London
