Ostia Antica

Ostia is believed to have been founded by Rome's fourth king, Ancus Marcius, in the 7th century BC, although only archaeological evidence from the 4th century BC has been found.  It was expanded in the first century AD under the rule of Tiberius.

By the 2nd century AD, more than 50,000 people lived there, with that number growing further to 75,000 a century later. By the time Constantine I took reign, the town had started evolving from a port into a popular holiday destination for Roman aristocrats.

When the Roman Empire fell, the town fell into decline, and was abandoned altogether in the 9th century after repeated attacks by Arab pirates.

The Papacy started intitial explorations of the site under Pope Pius VII, while Mussolini's government instigated large-scale excavations 1938-1942. The first results of this work came out in 1954 with the publication of Scavi di Ostia, which concentrated on the topography of the area and was compiled by Italian archaeologist Italo Gismondi. This work continues today. Some two-thirds of the town has been rediscovered.