Archaeological Park Ostia Antica

The Ostia Antica Archaeological Park, located at the mouth of the Tiber River near Rome, offers an insight into the ancient world. Its name, derived from the Latin “ostium”, meaning river mouth, reflects its strategic location. According to legend, the city was founded in 620 BC by Ancus Marcius, King of Rome, to exploit the nearby salt pans.

However, the earliest remains date back to the 4th century BC and indicate that it was an armed camp to protect the estuary. As Rome's power expanded in the 2nd century BC, Ostia developed from a military outpost into a bustling trading center that controlled the Mediterranean trade routes. In the late Republican period, the city had walls, gates and necropolises. During its heyday in the 2nd century AD, with an estimated population of 50,000, Ostia flourished as a trading port linked to the imperial ports. The forum, thermal baths, warehouses and residential buildings were built during this period.

Despite its prosperity, trading activities shifted to Porto by the middle of the 3rd century, which led to Ostia's decline. By the 6th century, the city lay abandoned, its once thriving streets darkened by mud and neglect. Today, visitors can wander through the well-preserved ruins and experience the legacy of Ostia Antica's rich history as an important link in the ancient Roman world.