Steve and Sarah's Last Day

Back to Feb. 23 and Out to Ostia Antica

Steve got to choose this day, and his choice was Ostia Antica, outside the city of Rome, but critical to Rome in its heyday. It is also one of the best places to get a sense of what an ancient Roman town was like.

Like Pompeii, Ostica Antica is well preserved with clear streets, houses, shops and public buildings.



Still evident are floor mosaics, bits of frescoes on walls, doorways and stairs, and inside some shops there are even counters and shelves. Bill played bar keep.















One of the bathhouses still features a 21 seat public latrine.




People of all walks of life lived in Ostia so there are large houses as well as apartment buildings.


This very cosmopolitan town also featured a variety of religious buildings including quite a few temples to Mithras, a Persian god who worship featured images of bulls and, I believe, bull sacrifices. There is also a early, 1st C. Jewish synagogue and a Christian church.











Steve found a mill and demonstrated for us how the millstones worked.


Unlike Pompeii, Ostia Antica was not buried suddenly but was gradually abandoned as the harbor silted up and trade declined in the 4th century.
Even worse, malaria became a real problem for the populace.

Instead of being destroyed by armies or looted by subsequent residents, Ostia slowly became buried in sand.

The day was very beautiful and this was a great place to spend it. The sun was out, the grass was green, and the air was very fresh. The site has a cafeteria where we had a light lunch, and a small museum that unfortunately we missed. However, to really see the site, more visits will be necessary. I can't wait!