Ostia Antica contains the ruins of an ancient city that appears to have been settled in the 4th century BC and then abandoned in the 9th century AD. Unlike Pompeii, Ostia was not destroyed by a single calamity such as a volcanic eruption, but rather by disuse, disrepair and pillaging.
Also, unlike Pompeii, you are free to pretty much roam among the ruins as there are few barricades (after all, the site has survived this long) and there were virtually no crowds.
The forum is a large open space st the heart of the city. In the background you can see the large Capitolium, the temple to the tan gods.
Here’s a closer look at the Capitolium.
It’s pretty surreal walking on the same streets, and past the same buildings, as the ancient residents of the city. The building on the left is believed to be an apartment building that had no waster, heat or cooling.
Across the street from the apartment building is a tavern. Some of the actual menu is still on the wall (it was a fresco) and the bar is still in place.
Leigh is standing in what was the mill. Sticks were put into the holes in the top section and then pushed by workers to rotate the top section and thus grind the wheat.
This picture was taken in the Square of the Guilds. All around a central square were businesses, and they advertised what business they were in by putting tile murals in front of their shops. The one below was likely an overseas shipping company:
And this represented a business selling some sort of good that had been shipped in from afar (coffee perhaps?).
Here you can see one side of the guild square.
The Baths of Neptune were where people went to get clean and socialized. The original mosaic of Neptune is incredible.
Down the street from the baths is the Theater. To the right, behind the columns, is the Square of the Guilds.
This would be the bathroom. Pretty cozy. And note the vertical slots under the seat. You cleaned yourself by putting a sponge on a stick and then sliding it into the slot. Nuff said.
It’s hard to describe just how fascinating it was to walk in the homes of people who lived here between 400 BC and 900 AD.
–Bret