Ostia Antica is an ancient port located at the mouth of the Tiber River which served as a pivotal plot of coastline in the defense of the Roman Empire. As time went on though and the military battles subsided, Ostia became a “real town” and was used more so as a commercial port.
I discovered my favorite part of this town as I ascended up a long set of narrow stairs which overlooked Terme di Nettuno, or the Baths of Neptune. At the top, I was able to gaze down at the tremendous craftsmanship of several large mosaics built into the bath floors. They were black (in the foreground) and white (in the background) and were made of tiny, 1 inch x 1 inch (approximately) squares that depicted gods, fish, animals, games, and fights. The entire structure was built in the 2nd century but has been renovated several times according to the informative signs nearby. They also said that the central characters in the main mosaic are Neptune and Amphitrite during their wedding ceremony. It is interesting to imagine people bathing here as the gods and fish looked up at them from below; also, it seems a bit disrespectful that dirt and waste was constantly flowing over the newlyweds. This site is not only aesthetically pleasing though, its main function was to cleanse the people by providing water and hot air which seeped up from the basement fires below the floor. These fires were attended to by slaves; their underground quarters are very well preserved to this day.
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