Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica was the harbor city of ancient Rome at the mouth of the Tiber river, traditionally regarded as Rome's first colony and developed over centuries into a major commercial port before its harbor silted up and the settlement was gradually abandoned in late antiquity. Its extensive excavated remains include multi-story apartment blocks called insulae, warehouses, public baths, a theatre, and numerous shrines and temples reflecting the diverse population of merchants and sailors who once lived there, giving an unusually complete picture of everyday Roman urban life outside Rome itself. Its brick and concrete residential construction is considered especially informative for the study of ordinary Roman domestic architecture rather than only monumental building.