Emperor's Private Amphitheatre Discovered in Major Find at Portus, Rome's 'Other' Harbour Town
Several major archaeological discoveries have been made at the site of one of Rome's ancient harbours. An oval amphitheatre, a 90m canal as well as many smaller objects (including marble statues) have emerged during excavations of Portus, the cargo port of ancient Rome, about two miles north of its better-known counterpart, Ostia Antica.
The team of archaeologists working at the site is led by the University of Southampton, who are working with Cambridge University, the Superintendency for the Archaeological Heritage of Ostia and the British School at Rome.
Amphitheatre Fit For an Emperor
The amphitheatre, which could have seated many hundreds of spectators, was found inside a big imperial palace complex. The site of Portus lies next to Fiumicino runway – Rome's international airport and is 20 miles outside Rome's city centre. As with its famous neighbour Ostia, Portus is now an inland site, since the coastline has moved further out due to silt from the Tiber.
The site was also excavated in the 1860s by Rodolfo Lanciani, who uncovered half of the amphitheatre and mistook it for a theatre. The other half has come to light during the excavation by the Portus Project team.
'Grossly Under Studied'
Professor Simon Keay, an expert in Roman archaeology at Southampton University and the British School at Rome and director of the Portus Project, told the BBC that the oval-shaped amphitheatre is similar in size to the pantheon and is at the eastern end of the imperial palace. He emphasised that it is very unusual to find a building of this architectural quality near to a harbour: "Its design, using luxurious materials and substantial colonnades, suggests it was used by a high status official, possibly even the emperor himself, and the activities that took place there were strictly private.” He also believes that it may have been used for private performances inside the palace.
Professor Keay added: "The site has been known about since the 16th century but it has never been given the importance it deserves. It has been grossly under studied."
Although Ostia is what we now think of as the ancient port of Rome – in fact during much of the imperial period Portus was the principal harbour. Building work began on the hexagonal harbour of Portus during the first century AD – during the reign of Claudius – it was completed by Nero, and then enlarged by Trajan. It received most of the capital's food supplies as well as imported materials such as marble and glass from Rome's provinces. The ceramic containers found during excavations of the site provide evidence of the variety of trade that was done at Portus. It is ironic then that the smaller port of Ostia is far better known today.
Photos by the University of Southampton.
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This is such an exciting discovery. Given the amazing structures preserved at Ostia, I'm amazed that Portus hasn't been fully excavated before now. That image of the marble sculpture emerging from the rubble is captivating!
That is genuinely scary - I can only imagine what my girlfriend would be like if she'd accidentally stepped on it!
It's incredible that remains as huge as these can go unnoticed and "under studied". I mean, we're not talking about a couple of crumbling houses and a few bits of pottery here, but a 2000-seater ampitheatre, and a 90-metre long canal - that's nearly as long as a football pitch! Just goes to show how spoiled Italy is for archaeological riches, as well as makes you wonder what other remains have as-yet been overlooked...
The next couple of days and weeks should be interesting. It sounds like there's a lot more to come out of this site - and how long before they start digging up the runway at Fiumicino?
How do you go from the excavator's statement that this arena could "possibly" have been used by the emperor himself to calling it an "emperor's private amphitheatre"? Seems that a more judicious headline is in order.
Thanks for your comment Francesca, but I don't quite agree. Very little is yet known about the purpose and use of this particular amphitheatre and as the news broke this morning, the main news source stated clearly that the 'imperial' palace and the amphitheatre inside it were "likely to have played host to renowned emperors such as Hadrian". We weren't the only ones to run with a headline emphasising this 'imperial' connection (see here for example) and I still think it is valid. I've just come off the phone to Simon Keay who gave me more detail about what the Portus Project team can now say for certain about the purpose of the amphitheatre - above all he describes it as a very enigmatic structure, like no other. I'll be blogging more about why he thinks that very soon.
I agree, Bija - the headline accurately reflected all our initial impressions of the amphitheatre. Looking forward to hearing more on your interview with Simon Keay!
I see some of your point, Bija, but even in the Times article the excavator says "possibly even the emperor himself." Possibly.
What I see is that A) a luxurious amphitheater has been found B) it was used on a private scale (i.e. the entire Roman public was not invited to spectacles there) and C) the emperor might have been entertained at said amphitheater.
I have been to Fenway Park in Boston. That does not mean it is my own private baseball stadium.
I am guessing that when the emperor was in town, the 'imperial palace' (whose main function was probably public port-related administration) would have been given over entirely to hosting his visit, as head of state. I'd be pretty impressed if you get the same treatment at Fenway Park ;-)
Looks like I'm not the only one troubled by the "imperial" associations in the reporting about this amphitheater. Mary Beard, renowned Cambridge classicist, has the same problems: http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2009/10/the-luxury-amphitheatre-at-portus.html She calls it "tosh."
But in other news, Beard does like the interview you did with Simon Keay!
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