Geophysical Component

Our previous geophysical survey of Portus covered c.180 Hectares of the port and its hinterland. It encompassed both harbour basins and much of its hinterland. However, it was limited to the north side of the Fossa Traiana canal, excluding the Isola Sacra, the island that lay between Portus and Ostia to the south. This is a major gap in our knowledge. It has been suggested, for example, that the settlement known to have existed on its northern side, and whose inhabitants were buried in the Isola Sacra cemetery, may have housed an important proportion of the population of Portus. In addition, its northern eastern edge was the site of the marble yards where imported material was temporarily stored prior to shipping upriver to Rome. Finally, it is possible that the whole of the west bank of the Tiber from the Capo Due Rami as far south of Ostia was lined with mausolea. There is thus a need to extend survey work to cover (i) the settlement and burial area in the northern Isola Sacra, and (ii) along the Tiber façade between Capo Due Rami and Ostia. This will allow us to shed light on the following research questions:

  1. What was the character of the settlement and adjacent cemetery on the north side of the Isola Sacra ?
  2. How significant was the settlement and how did it relate to Portus and Ostia ?
  3. How far were Portus, Ostia and Rome part of a conceptually unified “Façade Maritime” linked by the Tiber fronted by high-status tombs ?

This work will complement the recently completed survey of Ostia by Michael Heinzelmann (Deutsches Archaölogische Institut at Rome) which also encompassed settlement on the southern side of the Isola Sacra.