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OSTIA THE USE OF TRAVERTINE |
| A summary of previous research and new hypotheses. |
An inventory of all travertine objects in Ostia was made in 1999 by L.B. van der Meer (University of Leiden) with a team of students. This led to two publications and one article as spin-off:
- Van Der Meer, L.B. - Stevens N.L.C. 2000, "Tiburtinus lapis. The use of travertine in Ostia", BABesch 75, 169-195 (with an appendix about travertine doorframes in the Isola Sacra and Porta Laurentina cemeteries).
- Van Der Meer, L.B. 2002, "Travertine Cornerstones in Ostia Antica: Odd Blocks", AJA 106, 575-580.
- Stoeger H. 2007, "Monumental Entrances of Roman Ostia. Architecture with Public Associations and Spatial Meaning", BABesch 82, 347-363 (based on the MA Thesis "Monumental Entrances of Roman Ostia", Leiden University 2002).
I became interested in a subset of the material, namely the small travertine cornerstones and centralized stones that are found in many jambs of doors and porticos. Dr. L.B. van der Meer gave me access to the original descriptions of the travertine objects, made in 1999, and to the database in which the results were stored. It became clear that a second, short campaign was necessary to verify the precise position of many stones, for further study of details (such as holes with metal that are present in many stones) and for observations of the context. In September 2009 I spent a few days in Ostia with my son Simon Bakker. We improved the descriptions from 1999 and took photographs of all stones.
In this section of the Ostia website I will discuss the previous research, describe the small cornerstones and centralized stones, and develop new hypotheses about their function. Depending on the outcome a third campaign may take place in the future, to check specific issues.
Jan Theo Bakker
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Acknowledgements:
- I would like to thank Dott.ssa Anna Maria Moretti, Soprintendente ad interim, who gave permission for the new research in September 2009.
