Management of fluvio‑coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus

Salomon, Ferreol, Strutt, Kristian, Mladenovic, Dragana, Goiran, Jean-Philippe and Keay, Simon J (2023) Management of fluvio‑coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus. Water History, 15, 105-123. (doi:10.1007/s12685-023-00324-3).

Abstract

The modern Tiber delta includes two river mouths flowing into the Tyrrhenian sea, the Fiumara
to the South and the Fiumicino to the North. While the Fiumara is a natural channel,
the Fiumicino is a canal that was excavated during the Roman period. Two major Roman
archaeological sites are associated with these two watercourses: Ostia, founded between
the 4th and the 3rd c. BCE, built at the mouth of the Fiumara; and Portus, founded in
the 1st c. CE, built with a series of canals including the Fiumicino (Fossa Traiana), three
kilometres north of Ostia. In this paper we shall explore strategies used by the Romans on
these two sites to manage river mouth environments, which were characterised by high fluvial
sedimentation inputs and rapid fluvio-coastal mobility. We will observe possible urban
adjustments to natural constraints at Ostia, and demonstrate how Portus was, building on
the experience from Ostia, from its inception designed to reduce fluvial sedimentation in
the harbour basins and to lower lateral mobility of the canals. Finally, we will propose the
existence of an integrated management system for the watercourses at Portus and Ostia in
the Imperial period.

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Contributors

Author: Kristian Strutt

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