The history of the ruins of Ostia is long and complicated. It is the story of barbarian invasions and raids by pirates, Richard Coeur de Lion, popes and aristocrats. The archaeologists and historians studying the harbours of Rome do not just work with what can be seen today. They also work their way through old manuscripts and engravings. For a long time Ostia did not have its own museum, and the finds ended up in dozens of museums and private collections: in Italy especially in the Vatican Museums, in other European countries and in North America. Often no more is known than "Found in Ostia", sometimes with the period of excavation. Countless objects still lie hidden in the storage rooms of the museums and in unknown private collections.

1. Slow decay and slow emergence  2. Earthquakes, tsunamis and fires  3. The raising of Ostia and Tiber inundations  4. New buildings and restorations  5. Between decay and emergence  6. From the 12th to the 16th century

7. The 17th and 18th century  8. The lime kilns  9. The early 19th century 10. The later 19th century 11. Gold glass 12. Malaria

13. The early 20th century 14. Calm before the storm: 1914 - 1937 15. A column from Ostia in Chicago 16. The excavations for the World Exhibition in Rome: 1938 - 1942 17. Restorations 18. From the Second World War until the present day

The excavations of the Square of the Lares in 1916. Photo: Archivio Fotografico Ostia, neg. B 2162.