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The
old town of Ostia Antica
located at the mouth
of the Tiber River 30
km west of Rome was
a busy port for nearly
600 years. In Latin
"ostium" means
mouth. It is a favorite
attraction in Rome.
Because of silting at
the mouth of the river
bank it moved away from
the city to the sea
After the decline of
the dynasty there was
the political chaos
in Rome. Accordingly
economy has decreased.
Also Ostia Antica was
struck by an earthquake
in 346 AD which has
considerably damaged
the port.
As a result it reduced
trade and the port began
to decline. The town
of Ostia Antoica remained
deserted for centuries.
The town of Ostia Antica
is almost covered with
sand and mud deposits
by the flooding of the
Tiber River region.
After World War II,
restoration and preservation
of the town of Ostia
Antica started on a
small scale. The task
of preserving Ostia
Antica was given to
Soprintendente. It is
difficult work to rehabilitate
the site with irreparable
walls and murals. In
1980 the statues of
the Basilica Christiana
were stolen. As a result
many statues were replaced
with copies in plaster.
You can see the Baths
of Cisiarii and the
Baths of Neptune composed
of black and white mosaic
floor. The theatre has
been restored. You can
visit the place where
the inhabitants were
accustomed to live.
There are different
styles of houses according
to residents on the
basis of factors such
as whether the resident
was a worker, a merchant
or a charger. Workers
and sailors were accustomed
to live in "insule"
while the rich live
in houses more than
decorated with mosaics
and statues.
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