List of buildings in region I of the ancient Roman city of Ostia . The names are given in Italian; many buildings do not have their own name and are only referred to in literature as Caseggiato or Edificio ( residential house, building ). The most important information here is the modern number code (region, insula, house number).
The forum as it can be seen today dates from the time of Hadrian . Various important buildings in the city are arranged around the square. These include the Capitol, the basilica, the Curia and the temple of the Roma and Augustus ( Tempio di Roma e Augusto ) dedicated to the imperial cult . The Decumanus Maximus crossed the square. On the forum there was once a statue of Ancus Marcius , who was king of Rome but is also said to have been the founder of Ostia. The base of his statue with an inscription is preserved. Other statues erected here represented important citizens of the city.
The Ostia Capitol was built under Hadrian. It is a brick podium temple that was once richly covered with marble. There were once six pillars at the front.
The remains of this temple are at the southern end of the forum, just across from the Capitol. Only the foundation walls are preserved, which reveal a tangle of small rooms. Above it must have once been a temple on a platform. The front was adorned with six pillars. Overall, the building was once around 16 m high. The temple was built under Tiberius in honor of the Roma and Augustus. Marble was used in abundance in the construction. It seems to be the oldest building in Ostia where this material was used on a large scale. Parts of the back wall of the temple are now reconstructed next to the temple remains. Under Hadrian, two brick arches were built next to the temple.
Insula I
Surname
number
description
Caseggiati
I, I, 1-3
I, I, 1 are two shops that were built under Antoninus Pius . I, I, 2 and 3 are large halls. The wall in the center of the insula is the old castrum wall of Ostia from Tufa and is clearly visible today.
Caseggiato
I, I, 4
Shop house, into which various water basins were later built.
Piazza dei Lari
Surname
number
description
Piazza dei Lari
No number.
It is a sanctuary at a crossroad. A marble altar dates from the Augustan-Claudian period, which, according to an inscription, was consecrated to the Lares. It is not known what the sanctuary looked like at that time. Next to the altar is a basin and a one-room shrine that dates back to the second half of the second century. Conversions date from the third century
Insula II
Surname
number
description
Ninfeo
II, II, 1
Fourth century nymphaeum. It was built into the south facade of the Caseggiato del Pantomimo Apolausto and Caseggiato del Balcone Ligneo. Here was a reused inscription that names the pantomime Apolaustus and gave the name to the house next to it.
Caseggiato del Pantomimo Apolausto and Caseggiato del Balcone Ligneo
I, II, 2.6
The Caseggiato del Pantomimo Apolausto and Caseggiato del Balcone Ligneo were initially a single house, built around 120. Part of the building is the Nymphaeum (II, II, 1), which was built into the Decumanus Maximus here in the fourth century. There are two courtyards and stairs that attest to at least one upper floor. There was also a bakery in the house, which was probably set up here under Marcus Aurelius .
Basilica
I, II, 3
Hall from Hadrian times.
Aula del Buon Pastore
I, II, 4
Christian hall from the fourth century; Find a statue of a Good Shepherd .
Caseggiato del Termopolio
I, II, 5
Large house with tavern on the ground floor. Murals. Parts of the first floor with balconies have also been preserved.
Insula III
Surname
number
description
Caseggiato dei Molini
I, III, 1
The House of Mills was built in Hadrianic times and consisted of a series of shops and various alterations dating from the Antonine and Severan periods. In the latter epoch the house was expanded into a bakery and numerous mills were installed.
Apartment building from the middle of the second century. The house takes its name from a terracotta relief with the image of Diana, which is on the wall of the courtyard. In the basement there are mainly shops. There were several floors. On the second floor, the house had a balcony running around the facade. Well-preserved wall paintings were found in various rooms.
It is an apartment house in the center of the city that forms a block with the neighboring residential buildings, which together share a garden in the inner courtyard. The Domus di Giove e Ganimede dates back to Hadrianic times. Some modifications were made in later times. There are well-preserved wall paintings in the house; on one of them Jupiter and Ganymede can be found, which gave the house its modern name.
Commercial building from the middle of the second century. During the Severan period there were modifications, in particular 35 dolia defossa ( buried vessels ) for olive oil or wine were installed. After these were no longer used, a simple floor was laid over them. Fragments of at least 400 models were found in the vessels. The objects that were produced with the help of the models were not found, so they were made of organic material. Similar models are known from other places and it has been suggested that something edible was pressed into them.
Bakery next to the Caseggiato dei Dolii
Bakery is mentioned in an excavation report from 1878.
Insula V
Surname
number
description
Botteghe
I, V, 1
Stores
Portico est e ovest di Pio IX
I, V, 2
Stores
Insula VI
Surname
number
description
Portico est e ovest di Pio IX
I, VI, 1
Stores
Caseggiato del Balcone a mensole
I, VI, 2
Shops, apartment building with balconies; erected in Hadrianic times.
Insula VII
Surname
number
description
Caseggiato dei Misuratori del Grano
I, VII, 1-2
Apartment building, shops, only partially excavated
Insula VIII
Surname
number
description
Piccolo Mercato
I, VIII, 1
Hadrianic period warehouse
Horrea
I, VIII, 2
Hadrianic period warehouse
Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana
I, VIII, 3
Mid-second century warehouse. An inscription attests to this function. The inscription names Epagathus and Epaphroditus as owners.
Caseggiato
I, VIII, 4
Stores
Caseggiato
I, VIII, 5
Stores
Botteghe
I, VIII, 6
Two stores
Caseggiato
I, VIII, 7
Three stores
Caseggiato
I, VIII, 8
load
Botteghe
I, VIII, 9
Four rooms
Botteghe
I, VIII, 10
Stores
Insula IX
Surname
number
description
Caseggiato dietro la Curia
I, IX, 1
Shops and apartments
Caseggiato
I, IX, 2
Stores
Caseggiato del Larario
I, IX, 3
Multi-storey residential or tenement house with a courtyard, in which there is a semicircular niche, which was interpreted as a lararium and gave the house its name. The niche will be more of a statue niche. On the lower floor of the house there are mainly shops. The house dates to Hadrianic times.
Curia
I, IX, 4
The curia of the city. The building was built under Domitian or Trajan and faces the basilica, which was built at the same time. From the street you get to an anteroom, which was decorated with six granite columns facing the street. From there you get to a large room (11.50 × 12.00 m), which has niches for statues on the long sides. The walls and the floor were once covered with polychrome marble. There are uncovered corridors on both sides of the room. The function of the building as a curia is controversial because the building appears too small. However, the location and parallels in other cities support the interpretation as such.
Insula X
Surname
number
description
Tabern Repubblicane
I, X, 1
Tavern and shops
Caseggiato
I, X, 2
It is a series of shops with a portico in front. They were built at the end of the first century BC. Conversions date from the third century. The middle shop has been used as a tavern. In the third century the space between the pillars of the portico and the tavern was walled up so that there was extra space for the tavern on the street side. There are still wall paintings here, which probably date back to the Antonine period.
Officina stuppatoria
I, X, 3
workshops
Tempio Collegiale and Mitreo di Fructosus
I, X, 4
Temple and Mithraeum
Insula XI
Surname
number
description
Tempio Rotondo
I, XI, 1
The round temple was built at the beginning of the third century. Today it is badly damaged, but the size of the building and the central location indicate its special importance. The facility consists of an open space (41 × 35 m) oriented north-south. On the west side there is a passage to the neighboring basilica. At the end of the courtyard there is a platform about 3.8 meters high, which can be reached via a wide staircase. The actual temple is round and probably had a dome. It measures 16 meters in diameter. Inside there were seven niches, three rectangular and four semicircular. To the west of the entrance there is a spiral staircase, which obviously led to the top under construction. Statues were probably under construction. There were sculptures by Alexander Severus and Gordianus III. The latter may have built the temple for the imperial cult.
Domus del Tempio Rotondo
I, XI, 2-3
The Domus del Tempio Rotondo is a large house from the end of the third century. It stands between three important public buildings. The house has an inner courtyard with a fountain and is decorated with mosaics and marble floors. It is usually assumed that it is a residential building, but it may also have been the seat of an association.
Portico
I, XI, 4
Small portico
Basilica
I, XI, 5
The city's basilica dates from the end of the first or the beginning of the second century. The building was once richly lined with marble, most of which was later carried away. In the basilica and in the surrounding area, there were reliefs that depict episodes from the history of the city in Rome, such as the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus or the geese that saved the city during a Gallic attack. Stylistically, the reliefs date to the second century and were therefore added to the building later.
Insula XII
Surname
number
description
Caseggiato dei Triclini
I, XII, 1
Seat of the builders' guild; Building from the Hadrian era with a large courtyard, the rooms around it often have tricot lines . There are public latrines in one part of the building.
Foro della Statua Eroica
I, XII, 2
The place of the heroic statue dates back to the fourth century. Its function is uncertain. It was built on the remains of a hadrianic bath. Two sides of the square are flanked by rows of columns. The front has a portico made up of two rows of brick pillars. There are remains of marble on the floor. The place is the site of a statue that gave it its name. It shows a naked man and dates from the time of Emperor Hadrian, whom it may also represent.
Exedra
I, XII, 3
It is an exedra from the middle of the fourth century. A bakery was built over the remains and was probably used to decorate the Decumanus Maximus. It consists of a semicircle, which is decorated with columns.
Caseggiato della Cisterna
I, XII, 4
Cistern from Hadrian times.
Caseggiato
I, XII, 5
Construction from Hadrian times, perhaps used commercially.
Terme del Foro
I, XII, 6
The Terme del Foro ( Forum Baths ) are the largest baths in the city. The construction dates from the middle of the second century (under Antoninus Pius ). According to an inscription, the praefectus praetorio (from Rome) M. Gavius Maximus financed this building. Alterations are attested to the end of the fourth century.
Botteghe
I, XII, 7th
A number of stores.
Sede di una corporazione
I, XII, 8th
Construction of uncertain function, decorated with mosaics and marble.
Warehouse from the beginning of the second century.
Caseggiato
I, XIII, 2
Maybe a commercial building.
Fullonica
I, XIII, 3
laundry
Molino
I, XIII, 4
Mill and bakery from the end of the first century. The last renovations date back to the fourth century. There are shops on the east and west sides of the building, both of which have street fronts. The northern part of the house is occupied by mills. In the middle there is a courtyard and in the south part was the actual bakery, where there is also a large oven and cisterns. The bread was probably sold in the shops.
Caseggiato
I, XIII, 5
Shops and apartments from the Severan period. Partly poorly preserved.
Domus delle Gorgoni
I, XIII, 6
Small house richly decorated with mosaics and marble
Insula XIV
Surname
number
description
image
Ninfeo
I, XIV, 1
Fourth century nymphaeum.
Caseggiato del Mosaico del Porto
I, XIV, 2
Second century shops and apartments; It is named after a mosaic that shows a harbor.
Domus dell'Area Sacra
I, XIV, 3
House with a courtyard, perhaps the seat of an association.
Richly furnished house from the fourth century. The house got its name from a statue depicting Cupid and Psyche.
Caseggiato
I, XIV, 6
Stores
Caseggiato
I, XIV, 7th
Shops and apartments
Terme del Bagnino Buticosus
I, XIV, 8th
Small, perhaps private thermal baths from the time of Trajan , some with mosaics. They may have belonged to a guild. The thermal baths got their name from the mosaic showing a naked man and with the following inscription: EPICTETVS BVTICOSVS. Maybe it's the bathroom attendant. The best preserved is a mosaic in the caldarium with a triton and a nereid and marine animals. This room was once lined with marble.
Caseggiato
I, XIV, 9
Shops and apartments
Insula XV - Area dei Templi Repubblicani
Surname
number
description
Edificio pubblico
I, XV, 1
House of unknown function, well-preserved wall paintings from the Severan period; Part of the Republican Temple complex .
Tempio tetrastilo
I, XV, 2
Small temple, perhaps dedicated to Aesculapius and Hygieia . It was built at the end of the second century BC and stands on a small podium. Columns and capitals are made of tuff .
Aula delle Are
I, XV, 3
Hall, here were various altars.
Edificio
I, XV, 4
Late antique building of unknown function.
Tempio di Ercole
I, XV, 5
It is a temple of Hercules that was built in Republican times. The temple stands on a podium and was decorated with six columns at the front. There were smaller pillars in the cella . It was decorated with marble and had a simple third century mosaic floor. In the temple there was the base of a marble statue with a dedication from the freedman P. Livius . It is the oldest marble inscription from Ostia. From the temple there is also a statue of Gaius Cartilius Poplicola , who is also known from other inscriptions from Ostia (a copy of this statue is now placed in the temple). It shows him ideally naked. According to an inscription, the temple was renovated around 393/394 by Numerius Proiectus , who is attested to as Praefectus annonae (official who organized the grain supply to Rome) at precisely this time . Numerius Proiectus was an official appointed by the pro-pagan emperor and usurper Eugenius .
Tempio dell'Ara Rotonda
I, XV, 6
Small temple, once clad in marble, the revered deity is unknown.
Edificio Pubblico
I, XV, 7th
Building of unknown function, once decorated with marble.
Insula XVI
Surname
number
description
image
Caseggiato
I, XVI, 1
Shops and two taverns
Caseggiato
, XVI, 2
Unknown function.
Insula XVII
Surname
number
description
image
Caseggiato con fornace per laterizi
I, XVII, 1
Stores
Terme del Mitra
I, XVII, 2
Thermal baths from Hadrian times, renovations up to the fourth century. There were once arcades on the east side, which were later included in the bathroom. In the bathroom imagines clipeatae were found , two portrait heads on signs that may represent the builders of the building. There were some mosaics in the bathroom, and the underground service area is very well preserved.
Mithraeum, which was built into the underground service rooms of the thermal baths.
Fullonica delle Terme del Mitra
I, XVII, 2
Workshop built into the service rooms of the thermal baths.
Oratorio Cristiano delle Terme del Mitra
I, XVII, 2
Small church that was built over the mithraium. A niche in the bathroom was equipped with columns.
Insula XVIII
Surname
number
description
image
Caseggiato
I, XVIII, 1
Only partially excavated, maybe a house.
Insula XIX
Surname
number
description
image
Aula dei Mensores
I, XIX, 1.3
The hall of the grain knives is a rectangular building and takes its name from a mosaic showing grain knives ( mensores frumentarii ) at work. It was built under Trajan , but the black and white mosaic was built in the third century. It may be a club house for these people.
Tempio dei Mensores
I, XIX, 2
The temple of the grain knives . It was probably dedicated to the Ceres Augusta.
Horrea dei Mensores
I, XIX, 4
Large warehouse, structurally connected to the Kornmesser hall and therefore perhaps part of it, not yet fully excavated.
Terme Piccole
I, XIX, 5
Small bathhouse from the end of the fifth century, conversions perhaps even date from the sixth century. It is one of the latest structures in Ostia.
Caseggiato dei Doli
next to I, XIX
Commercial building, excavated at the end of the 18th century, but now filled in.
Insula XX
Surname
number
description
image
Horrea
I, XX, 1
Hadrianic period warehouse.
Other buildings in the region I
Surname
number
description
image
Horrea
Storehouse only known from geophysical surveys.
Surname
number
description
image
Palazzo Imperiale
Large building complex, partly richly decorated with mosaics; excavated in the 19th century.
Mitreo del Palazzo Imperiale
Mithraeum in the Mitreo del Palazzo Imperiale
Surname
number
description
image
Navalia e Tempio
Temple complex
Surname
number
description
image
Bagni
Bad, known from geophysical surveys (in 2000); it is small but richly decorated with marble and may have belonged to a private house.
Surname
number
description
image
Small port facility
The port facility is only known from geophysical surveys.
Surname
number
description
image
Mitreo Fagan
Mithraeum, which was excavated between 1794 and 1802. The exact location is no longer known; Find numerous sculptures.
Surname
number
description
image
Boacciana Gate
Tower of the ancient city wall, expanded as a tower in the Middle Ages.
^ Jean-Charles Balty : Ordinis Curia. Research d 'architecture et d'urbanisme antiques sur les curies provinciales du monde romain. (Mémoire de la Classe des Beaux-Arts / Collection in-4 °; Sér. 2, T. 15, Fasc. 2). Academie Royale de Belgique, Bruxelles 1991, ISBN 2-8031-0084-3 , pp. 121-127, 375-376, 614.
^ Gustav Hermansen: Ostia, Aspects of Roman City Life , Alberta 1981 ISBN 0888640668 , 134-35
