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Why the
Ostia Antica
is special
It is the best preserved ancient Roman town. It has superlative mosaics and
balconied multi-story buildings.

Tips & insights on the
Ostia Antica

The
top 5 sights to see:
Baths
of Neptune
Splendid mosiac.
Piazza
of the Corporations
Artistic mosaics visually identify the specialties of dozens of companies (for
the multitude who could not read).
Amphitheatre
Still being used today.
Forum
Remains of major temples.
Fireman's
barracks
Ruins of a large fire-unit complex.

True,
Pompeii is a more exciting tourist draw than Ostia Antica because it was
dramatically buried under the ashes of a Vesuvius eruption. However, Ostia
Antica has its pluses. It is better preserved and gives the visitor a better
idea of what a typical ancient Roman town was like.

Ostia
Antica served as both a military camp (to prevent invaders from sailing up the
Tiber River to reach Rome) and the major commercial port for imports from
distant lands destined for Rome.

Ostia
Antica is an easy daytrip from Rome. It's 25 kilometers (15 miles) away and can
be reached by car or train. There is even a boat excursion via the Tiber River.

The
city began to flourish in the 3rd century BC and reached its heyday about 500
years later when the population swelled to 100,000.

But
Mother Nature intervened. Accumulated silt moved the shoreline of the
Tiber River estuary over 2 kilometers (1 mile) west into the sea. This hindered
easy water passage to the town and eventually Ostia Antica became a ghost town.

Antica
translates "ancient". Ostia means "mouth" in Latin, referring to the mouth of
the Tiber River.




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