Today has been a long day. I just returned from visiting two main sites at the Roman port of Ostia. Here are some of the best preserved ruins of urban life in the late Republic and early imperial period. As a port city, it was instrumental in bring in grain and other commerce into Rome and the surrounding areas.

We first visited the site called Isola Sacra, the "sacred island" formed by canals which were dug to connect to the Tiber.  The tomb site (necropolis) we visited was well-preserved. Lined up like little houses, these tombs were the family burial places, extending even to their slaves and freed slaves. As people traveled along the ancient road, they would have passed by the line of tombs and have been reminded of the people buried there and what they did in life. Of course, the more wealthy people were, the more they were able to represent their wealth through larger and more ornate tombs.

We then traveled to Ostia Antica. We spent an hour going through the museum there, which contained the statues and busts collected and preserved from the sites in Ostia. After having some lunch and the nice little (air-conditioned) cafeteria, we set off on the adventure of exploring the splended ruins of this harbor town. It's fantastic how much of the homes are still left intact. No roofs of course, but row after row of brick houses. There are also warehouses, buildings for group meetings, temples, and an amphitheatre. We received special permission to enter a few of the more well-preserved buildings. There were a couple of places where we had originally been turned down, but the people there were kind enough to unlock some extra places for us to see. Here is a web site that shows much of the wonders of Ostia and Isola Sacra.

I can tell you it's been a very tiring day. I was thinking this morning about how I used to look through books and magazines about ancient places like Rome. I dreamed about the day when I might get to see that sort of stuff for myself. And now I am. It's a privilege for which I am very thankful.