Excavated: 1914 (GdS 1914, 113 (April 2-25); NSc 1914, 285-287 with 285 fig. 2; Calza).
Mosaic: SO IV, 74 nr. 106, tav. 181 (bottom).
Inscription: ---.
Date: 190-200 AD (SO IV); 200-210 AD (Clarke).
Meas. of tesserae: 0.01; tesserae of restorations: 0.015-0.02 (SO IV).
Mosaic
General descriptionThe back room is divided in two halves by a black band, five tesserae wide. To the north the floor has not been preserved with the exception of a few white tesserae along the black band. In the other half the band continues to the south on either side of the room, turns inwards near the passage to the front room and continues to the south in the passage.
The north part of the floor of the front room has been preserved, with only the east end missing. It is separated from statio 26 by a wide marble band, on the axis of the central column. To the east of that is a very wide black band. The black bands in the back room and in the passage continue in the front room, but end after a short distance. They are interrupted by a depiction of two ships, a later redecoration of the front room. On photos from 1914 and 1977, and on NADIS inv. nr. 645, bands of marble slabs can be seen on either side of the panel, the east one moved slightly inwards.
TextNo text has been preserved and there is not enough free space for a text, unless it was at the south end, which would be unusual.
DepictionsIn the north-west corner of the back room is part of a mosaic with a geometric motif. The excavators placed it at higher level. I did not find further information about it. A very good parallel is in the Domus delle Muse (SO IV, 131 nr. 261, tav. 23, top), Hadrianic according to Becatti.
The right half of the eastern ship is depicted in a sketchy way. Here the tesserae are larger than those of the left part, indicating a restoration of the redecoration. In the top of the mast is a flag or pennant.[1] The stern seems to be attached to another ship, or to an anchor or a quay. On the bow a dolphin is depicted, the name of the ship.[2] A pair of vertical lines on the hull of the western ship, above the two steering oars, is presumably part of the steering installation. We could also see a stylized depiction of the Dioscures holding a sceptre or rod (they were worshipped in Ostia as protectors of shipping). No sails are visible. A man is carrying an amphora from the right ship to the left ship, using a gangplank. To the left and right of the mast of the left ship may stand some more amphorae. On the stern a winch has been depicted. The sea is indicated by horizontal lines.
Becatti
Ships. A sinistra è una nave oneraria con poppa ricurva, due timoni con argano a barre incrociate per il comando, albero maestro, con pioli alternati per salire, fissato da due sartie a prua e a poppa; senza vela. Ai piedi dell'albero è il boccaporto della stiva e accanto una lacuna. A prua è gettata una passerella di legno che la mette in comunicazione con una seconda nave a destra, nella quale un uomo sta scaricando anfore. È rappresentato in piedi sulla passerella, un po' curvo sotto il peso d'un'anfora che reca sulla spalla destra, vestito d'una tunichetta fino al ginocchio. L'altra nave è rostrata, ma è molto alterata da rifacimenti antichi a tessere di cm. 2 che hanno modificato tutta la parte posteriore. Rimangono l'albero obliquo di bompresso, fissato dalle briglie incappellate alla punta del bompresso e tesate ai lati di prua, e resta l'angolo del pennoncino con i sospensorî. Dell'albero maestro solo la parte superiore è originale, il resto è rifacimento posteriore, che ha alterato la sartia di poppa, facendola grossa ed obliqua. A prua è disegnato un delfino in bianco come emblema, l'aplustre è a voluta.
Masonry
The back room has a rear wall on the west side only. It is of modern opus reticulatum, reinforced on the corners with oblong tufa blocks. The east wall is of opus latericium, the north corner is missing. There is no wall on the west side. There is however, on the area of statio 26, a division created by very thick slabs of white stone, marble it seems.
Interpretation
The left ship is a navis codicaria, a tow boat with which cargoes were transported from the harbours to Rome. They were towed by oxen or men, using a towpath along the Tiber. The tow rope was attached to a special mast.[3]
An explanation for the winch is given by Casson.[4] An Egyptian papyrus from 212 AD, discussing the lease of a tow boat that could carry ca. 10.000 kilograms, mentions as part of the equipment a winch and various kinds of ropes: one for mooring, one for towing, a set for the sails, and a set that was used for something else that is not specified.[5] There was a way to improve the efficiency of the towing: "On the ship was a winch on which two ropes (cf. the plural in the leasing contract) were wound. One rope clockwise, the other counter clockwise. On regular distances on the towpath fixed points to which the ropes could be tied were installed. On the first point the clockwise rope was fastened and while turning the winch counter-clockwise this rope was coiled up around the winch and the other rope - the counter-clockwise one - was unrolled. When the first rope was completely rolled and the second completely unrolled a man on the towpath took the second rope and tied it to the following fixed point. The second rope could be coiled up again in the same continuous turning movement. Working like this, the ship didn't lose speed and could reach Rome practically on its own. The plural in this explanation is decisive. If only one rope had been used it would have been necessary to unroll it again every time after it was coiled up by the winch, throw it to the towpath and tie it again on one of the fixed points. This would have been a time-consuming operation during which the ship could be driven back by the strong current". The use of this system is documented in the 19th century. Cf. also a drawing of tow boats on the Tiber published by Cornelius Meyer in 1685.[6]
The man carrying the amphora may have been a phalangarius (or palangarius, falancarius). The phalangarii were porters, mostly of wine it seems, using poles to carry amphorae and to transport barrels. A few inscriptions document their work in Rome, where they had also erected their own tomb.[7] In Ostia and Portus however we should rather think of the corpus of the saccarii ("sack-bearers").[8] They carried all sorts of goods, not necessarily using sacks only.[9] In this case it must have been fish sauce or olive oil (for wine the Forum Vinarium was used).
The man transferring goods, moving from right to left, is what attracts attention on the mosaic. We may thus interpret the office as the statio saccariorum (for the codicarii, operating the tow boats, see statio 43). These may have been humble people, but their guild (eventually) had the status of corpus, and it was a vital link in the food supply of Rome. It is not clear why this statio was not placed in the south part of the east porticus, where "local" crafts and professions are concentrated. However, because the depiction is a redecoration, the saccarii may have acquired a place on the square only at a later point in time.
(1) On signaling and identification equipment (flags and lights) see Casson 1971, 246.
(2) Such a "name-device" could be a bronze plaque, carved, or painted. The most popular ship names were Isis and Dioscuri (Casson 1971, 344-346, 359).
(3) Casson 1965, on this ship in particular p. 37.
(4) Casson 1965, 38, explained in more detail by F. Brenders.
(5) Hunt - Edgar 1970, nr. 38.
(6) Meyer 1685, fig. 22.
(7) CIL VI, 1785 and 7803-7807; Waltzing 1895-1900, II, p. 99; Daremberg-Saglio s.v. Phalangarii.
(8) CIL XIV Suppl., 4285; CTh 14.22.1; Sirks 1991, 257-259.
(9) Martelli 2013, 7-8; Virlouvet 2015. Symmachus speaks of frugis et olei baiulos ("carriers of grain and oil") (Relationes 14,3). I do not know where the suggestion comes from that amphorae were transported by amphorarii. On amphorae in general: Disantarosa 2009.