Ostia 遺跡の特異性と、最近の研究成果

The Japanese team, of which the author is also a member, has been conducting surface surveys in the Ostia site since 2008. The results obtained have far exceeded the level of previous research in Japan, but even more astonishing is the recent progress of research in Europe. Paleogeographic and paleogeologic survey methods, including deep borehole investigations, are now becoming the mainstay of research, overturning many previous academic consensuses as well as proposing a new historical image. Specifically, the importance of the change in the bed of the Tiber River has been highlighted, as well as the existence of a river port and a possible berth for large transport ships at the mouth of the Tiber, which functioned until the mid-4th century. Various surveys in the Isola Sacra area have also revealed the existence of infrastructures such as canals, roads and warehouses connected to Portus. It is also becoming apparent that the two ports functioned by complementing each other.
In conclusion, Ostia, the outer port of Rome, remained a unique entity from its foundation in the 4th century B.C. until the mid-5th century, when it was completely abandoned due to a malaria epidemic. The site’s unique characteristics have also been confirmed by our surface survey from six perspectives.