Portus Romae
Portus ( Latin "port"), completely Portus Ostiensis Augusti , later Portus Romae , was one of the ancient ports of Rome . The remains are located about 25 kilometers southwest of Rome between the Rome-Fiumicino airport and the northern branch of the Tiber in the urban area of Fiumicino .
Construction phase under Claudius
Since the second walk from the Tiber port of Ostia increasingly silted, Kaiser began Claudius 42 n. Chr. Four kilometers north at the mouth of the Tiber-side arm with the 69 hectares large construction of a new harbor basin, the two extends deep into the sea jetties has been limited. A lighthouse stood on an artificial island in the port entrance . A large stone-laden ship that had previously been used to transport an obelisk from Egypt was sunk to lay the foundations for this island .
The jetties served as anchorages, but the southern jetty was supposed to protect the harbor basin from the constant south-westerly winds. However, this was only partially successful. Tacitus reports the sinking of several grain ships in the year 62 AD within the port as a result of a storm.
The harbor basin, which opened to the northwest, was connected to the Tiber in the southeast by a canal , so that the landed goods - including large quantities of grain from Egypt - could easily be transported to Rome. In addition, a new road connection was created with the 24-kilometer Via Portuensis .
Construction phase under Trajan
From 103 onwards, Emperor Trajan expanded the port with an almost 33-hectare hexagonal basin to the east, the remains of which are still clearly visible ( Lake Traiano , immediately south of the airport building) as a result of the silting up today, about three kilometers from the coast. Due to its diameter of over 700 meters, even the largest ships of the time found space on the quays, along which mighty warehouses lined up.
This new basin was also connected by canals with the port from the time of Claudius and directly with the Tiber (Fossa Trajana) . A later name of the canal, Flumen Micinum , echoes in the place name Fiumicino of the coastal town that was only founded in 1825.
In addition to the ruins of warehouses and docks , remains of thermal baths, temples and arcades have been preserved.
Follow for Ostia
The new port quickly took over all the tasks that had previously been performed by the port in Ostia. Nevertheless, Portus remained a district of Ostia. However, the port settlement of Portus grew steadily. After the year 300 - at the time of Emperor Constantine - the district had 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants and only shortly after Ostia (possibly even at the same time) became the seat of a bishop .
The decline of Ostia accelerated when Constantine Portus rose to colonia in 314 , thereby granting him city rights and Ostia a little later incorporated the city of Rome together with Portus as Portus Romae . A wall that Constantine erected to protect the harbor between Portus and Ostia manifested the separation of the two districts of Rome. The population of Ostia declined rapidly after the Vandal and Saracen raids .
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Portus also lost its importance in the 6th century.
See also
literature
- Russell Meiggs : Portus, Italy . In: Richard Stillwell et al. a. (Ed.): The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1976, ISBN 0-691-03542-3 .
- Anita Rieche : Ancient Italy from the air. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1978, ISBN 3-7857-0223-X , pp. 197-206.
Web links
- Extensive information with maps and photos about the port (Italian)
- University of Southampton website on the port
Coordinates: 41 ° 47 ' N , 12 ° 16' E