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Baths at Ostia

Ancient Roman buildings and structures in ItalyArchaeological sites in LazioOstia (Rome)Ostia (ancient city)
Frigidarium Terme del Foro Ostia Antica 2006 09 08
Frigidarium Terme del Foro Ostia Antica 2006 09 08

The preservation and extensive excavations at Ostia Antica have brought to light 26 different bath complexes in the town. These range from large public baths, such as the Forum Baths, to smaller most likely private ones such as the small baths (I, XIX, 5). It is unclear from the evidence if there was a fee charged or if they were free. Baths in Ostia would have served both a hygienic and a social function like in many other parts of the Roman world. Bath construction increased after an aqueduct was built for Ostia in the early Julio-Claudian Period. Many of the baths follow simple row arrangements, with one room following the next, due to the density of buildings in Ostia. Only a few, like the Forum Baths or the Baths of the Swimmers, had the space to include palestra. Archaeologist name the bathhouses from features preserved for example the inscription of Buticoso in building I, XIV, 8 lead to the name Bath of Buticosus or the mosaic of Neptune in building II, IV, 2 lead to the Baths of Neptune. The baths in Ostia follow the standard numbering convention by archaeologists, who divided the town into five regions, numbered I to V, and then identified the individual blocks and buildings as follows: (region) I, (block) I, (building) 1.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Baths at Ostia (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Baths at Ostia
Via degli Augustali, Rome Ostia Antica

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N 41.753888888889 ° E 12.289166666667 °
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Ostia Antica

Via degli Augustali
00119 Rome, Ostia Antica
Lazio, Italy
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ostiaantica.beniculturali.it

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Frigidarium Terme del Foro Ostia Antica 2006 09 08
Frigidarium Terme del Foro Ostia Antica 2006 09 08
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Museo Archeologico Ostiense
Museo Archeologico Ostiense

The Museo Archeologico Ostiense (or Archaeological Museum of Ostia) is an archaeological museum dedicated to the ancient Roman city of Ostia in Rome, Italy. The museum was built by Pope Pius IX, who in 1865 had to readapt a fifteenth-century building used as a store to create a city museum. Contained in the museum are numerous archaeological objects which came to light during a long period of excavations. The collection includes, for example, a collection of portraits of famous people from ancient Ostia, including philosophers and members of the royal family, such as busts depicting Asclepius and Volcacius Myropnous, a portrait of Faustina the Elder and the head of Trajan. The museum also has a large collection of sculptures, including the statue of Perseus holding the head of Medusa, the sculptural group of Mithras slaying the bull, and other works. There are other examples on display of great interest, such as small groups in marble depicting Cupid and Psyche and other subjects, and in another section of the museum, sarcophagi and reliefs. On display are also examples of wall paintings from different burials and emblems of polychrome mosaics, such as the Christ Blessing. These works of great historical and artistic value, are then supported by a collection of minor works such as crafts, glass, and even teaches some at the shop, and some interesting facts, such as the marble slab found in the temple of Bellona, on which are carved two pairs of feet opposite, probably a votive object.

Ostia Synagogue
Ostia Synagogue

The Ostia Synagogue is an ancient synagogue located in ancient Ostia, the seaport of Imperial Rome. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest mainstream Jewish synagogue yet uncovered outside the Land of Israel. The synagogue building dates from the reign of Claudius (41-54 AD) and continued in use as a synagogue into the 5th century AD.There is a scholarly debate about the status of the synagogue building in the 1st century AD, with some maintaining that the building began as a house only later converted to use as a synagogue, and others arguing that it was in use as a synagogue from the 1st century.In its earliest form, the synagogue featured a main hall with benches along three walls; a propylaeum or monumental gateway featuring four marble columns; and a triclinium or dining room with couches along three walls. There was a water well and basin near the entryway for ritual washings. The main door of the synagogue faces the southeast, towards Jerusalem.An aedicula, to serve as a Torah Ark, was added in the 4th century AD. A donor inscription implies that it replaced an earlier wooden platform donated in the 2nd century AD, which itself had been replaced by a newer Ark donated by one Mindus Faustus in the 3rd century AD.On July 15, 2021, a Bar Mitzvah ceremony took place at the Ostia Synagogue. This was the first religious ceremony at the ancient site since it was uncovered.