The Trajanic and later port
The emperor Trajan very substantially enlarged this harbour. His aim was probably to provide the necessary storage and transhipment facilities for the supply of grain from Alexandria to Rome, which had hitherto gone to Puteoli (Pozzuoli) on the Bay of Naples. His scheme, known to archaeologists as the Port of Trajan (Porto di Traiano), involved the excavation of an enormous hexagonal pool inland, just behind the still-functioning harbour begun by Claudius, and connected to it by a short canal.
Interpretative reconstruction of the geophysical and structural evidence for the layout of the Trajanic port
The centrepiece of this new enterprise was a large hexagonal basin which was built a short distance to the south-east of the main basin of the Port of Claudius (Porto di Claudio). It was designed as an inner harbour, possibly as a large-scale replacement of the earlier Darsena that was able to accommodate a large number of ships. It also accommodated far more extensive storage facilities than before, with the construction of large warehouses along at least five of its six sides (Fig. 1). Furthermore, it also incorporated the Darsena and surrounding areas, and the construction of a new canal complex that connected the earlier "Fossa Traiana", the hexagon and the earlier river port (Fig. 2). Access to the growing settlement on the Isola Sacra on the south bank of the "Fossa Traiana" was provided by a road that was carried across the "Fossa Traiana" by the Pons Matidia and continued southwards to Ostia as the Via Flavia. Once completed, the integrated complex of the Port of Claudius (Porto di Claudio) and the Port of Trajan (Porto di Traiano) functioned as a unified whole.
Our survey has added considerable detail to what was previously known about the harbour focused around the new hexagonal basin. For example, at the centre of the side lying opposite the entrance to the hexagon we have found what appears to have been a rectangular temple surrounded by a porticoed sacred precinct: the temple may have been dedicated to Liber Pater Commodiana. It would have been immediately visible by all ships entering the hexagon. In front of it was supposed to have been a colossal statue to the emperor Trajan. A double row of warehouses flanked either side of the temple precinct. By contrast to this, the southernmost side of the hexagonal basin served as a major transhipment area for cargoes heading to Rome. Warehouses open on to both the hexagonal basin which lies to the north, and on to the new Trajanic canal to the south, allowing cargoes to be unloaded from sea-going ships, stored and then on to barges. A major component of these cargoes would have been earthenware containers, known as amphorae. The cargoes would then have been towed upstream to Rome at different times in the course of the year. The large hill of amphora sherds at Monte Testaccio, on the south side of Rome adjacent to the Tiber, is witness to the scale of this movement. These amphorae came from Spain and North Africa.
Aerial view of the Port of Trajan (Porto di Traiano) looking towards the River Tiber
The Roman Amphorae: a digital resource site is available within the Archaeology Data Service's ArchSearch website.
