Previous Fieldwork
The site of Portus (Fiumicino), the port of ancient Rome for most of the imperial period has been known since the sixteenth century, but is far less well known than nearby Ostia. Previous work at the site has involved a number of distinguished Italian and foreign scholars, and has resulted in the publication of several major studies, including those by Lanciani (1868), Lugli & Filibeck (1935) and Testaguzza (1970), as well as more recent work by the Soprintendenza di Beni Archeologici di Ostia (Manucci, 1996). Our own work, funded by the AHRC with assistance from the Soprintendenza di Beni Archeologici di Ostia, comprised a geophysical survey of the port and its hinterland lying to the east (Keay, Millett, Strutt & Paroli 2005).
 |
 |
| Location map of Portus | Aerial view of the Portus looking towards the River Tiber, with the Heaxgonal basin of the Port of Trajan in the middle background |
Three survey techniques have been used to map the harbours: topographic survey, geophysics and field-walking. All these methods are rapid, allowing large areas to be covered, and non-destructive. Our work began in 1998 and, since then, we have examined around 180 hectares of the site, revealing a wealth of new information about the layout of the port and the ways in which it functioned during antiquity.
Read more about:
The University of Southampton currently hosts a website outlining work that was done in association with the Tiber Valley Project, and can be visited at www.arch.soton.ac.uk/portus.
