https://ancientrome.org/tags/ostia/ Recent content in Ostia on Ancient Rome Hugo en-us Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://ancientrome.org/ostia-the-port-that-fed-rome/ Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://ancientrome.org/ostia-the-port-that-fed-rome/ <p>Rome could not feed itself. The city that consumed the products of an empire — grain from Egypt and North Africa, wine from Gaul and Spain, olive oil from the eastern Mediterranean, luxury goods from as far as India and China — sat on the Tiber sixteen kilometers from the sea, connected to the Mediterranean economy through a harbor at the river&rsquo;s mouth and the logistical infrastructure that moved commodities from ships to warehouses to the city&rsquo;s tables. Ostia was that infrastructure, and understanding it means understanding how an ancient city of half a million or more people solved the supply problem that has defeated urban civilizations throughout history.</p>