Rome via Brooklyn

775 words, 4 minute read (double post)

How is it different to experience this type of archaeology from what we’ve done in Rome? How do we explain that difference? In your imagination where would you prefer to live and why? Where do you imagine yourself fitting into the social hierarchies and why?

Ostia, as an open-air museum, is considerably much more interactive compared to the typical museum. It allows one to have a comprehensive understanding of the history they are learning about through a hands-on experience. Instead of navigating around a building created specifically to house objects of antiquity and art, the visitor is quite literally on the grounds itself, in the location where these objects are typically taken to museums, hidden behind glass, no longer in situ. In this way, the experience one can have at a site like Ostia is much more genuine, as they can gather a deep understanding of how ancient Roman lives really were. The objects, infrastructure, and visual imagery that reside here are within their own context, as opposed to objects housed in museums, especially with ancient art-these institutions cannot deliver on an authenticity, as one cannot fully grasp the understanding of their use through environment, fundamentally changing the object’s perception.

The mosaics of Ostia were so beautiful, and they paint such a vivid picture of the ancient harbor city, displaying the culture and values of the people: what they encountered in their day to day lives, their religious beliefs, how they built their economy, and what they considered important. It was all so fascinating to witness, and incredible that we have all these remains of ancient life in such a pictorial way. Walking along the roads of Ostia, seeing one mosaic after another, allows one to slowly put together a vision of the city in such a captivating way, each mosaic revealing another peek into the ancient world. The mosaics of the elephants were especially delightful to see! They reveal just how cosmopolitan the ancient world was, uncovering the network of trade and exchange between ancient Rome and North Africa. It is fun to imagine ancient Romans seeing these animals for the first time in gladiatorial spectacles, in awe of such creatures and then their subsequent desire to depict this admiration in their visual infrastructure.

The coastal city itself is pivotal to the development of ancient Rome, due to its development as a fortified city, becoming Rome’s first colony. The earliest known remains of the city show that it was laid out as a castrum (a Roman military camp). Ostia served as a key location for the development of Rome as it expanded, as a larger port was needed for the growing population. The city also served as a hub, housing both permanent and temporary residents, many of whom came as traders from various Mediterranean cities.

Witnessing Ostia’s baths was a thing of wonder. Bathing was a central part of Roman life, and standing on the literal grounds of the bathing structures and the palaestra, one can very palpably imagine the daily lives of ancient Romans, as these areas were important social and recreational centers for the people of Ostia. These baths were multifunctional: one could chat, exercise, and conduct business all in the same space. This is something quite different from how many of us function today, as one can go to a bathhouse with friends and experience some of the same intimate socialization, but it is simply not ingrained in our culture like it was for the ancient Romans. For one to imagine baths as a crucial, quotidian part of community in the modern day is much more difficult. However, it was a concept that I was particularly drawn to, as these spaces promoted togetherness in a space that also functioned to promote wellness and relaxation, which, in the way I see it, is an ideal environment for people to intermingle.

It helped too that this space was extremely beautiful, ornamented by the mosaic of Neptune, the god of the sea. Here, he is surrounded by both sea creatures and mythological beings, riding on a quadriga, surrounded by sea nymphs, Tritons, and dolphins. This imagery amplifies the purpose and aesthetic of the baths, as one gets the feeling of being fully immersed in this aquatic and marine environment, highlighting both the setting of the baths and of Ostia’s significance as a harbor city.