Saccarii (dockers)

The Port and TradeBelonging (collegia): Associations for work, worship, leisure and death

Working in Ostia

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People of Ostia - Classes

• Senatorial (family; > 1,000,000 sesterces)• Knights (equites) (> 400,000 sesterces)• [Decuriones (city council)]• Commons – freeborn• Freedmen• Slaves

Forces Driving the Ports’ Economy• Decline in relative population of rural Italy

– Absentee landlords dependent on slave labor• Need to feed expanding urban population

– Dole for poor [free or subsidized grain; Septimius Severus (193-211 CE) added oil]

• Inefficient local agriculture– Local production of mainly luxury products

• Cheap sea transport

The Government and the Grain Trade

• The Annona– Public distribution 15-33% of total– Financed by taxes – Operated through contracts, incentives and open

market• Military contribution – Mediterranean free of

pirates• Fire protection

Personifications of Portus and AnnonaSarcophagus showing wedding found at Via Latina, Rome

Coin of Antoninus Pius

Ships

• Large- 10,000 amphorae or up to 1200 tons– Mainly from Egypt

• Standard-3,000 amphorae-300 tons• Minimum for privileges (Claudius) - 10,000

modii or about 70 tons; later increased to 340 tons [1 modius = 8.73 l]

• Merchant ships – sails - crews could be slaves• Navy – oared - crew were freedmen

Madrague de Giens wreck – Artist’s reconstruction

Shipping Times

• Ostia Africa– 270 nautical miles/2-3 days

• Alexandria Rome or Puteoli– 2 weeks in good weather, might layover in

marginal season • Season – Late May to early September

Commerce

Imports• Grain • Oil• Wine• Garum –fish sauce• Pottery• Flax and rope• Animals • Leather• Wood, (marble)• Fish

Exports• Money• Marble• Bronze • Wool and wool cloth• Wine• Pottery• Glass• Ballast

Safeguards

• Power of disbarment• Legal system• Record keeping• Labeling of cargo

Labeling Cargo

Tituli Picti – Markings after amphora productionhttp://www.archaeospain.com/images/Testaccio.pdf

Empty weight

Weight -Contents

Merchants;Inspectors

Changing origin of imports

Tableware imports- Terme del Nuotatore

8th Hill of Rome – Monte Testaccio

Unloading ships

Relief from Portus - Accounting

Transfer of grain to the Isis Giminiana

Measuring the amount of grainHall of the Grain Measurers (Aula dei Mensores) (I,XIX,3)

River Barge

Internal transport• Wheeled transport

only on main street• Most transport by

slaves or pack-animals

• Ferries across Tiber

Wheel-ruts on the Decumanus. Photograph: Jan Theo Bakker.

Portus – reconstruction: Horrea

Horrea

Yale Open CoursesLecture 16 Roman ArchitectureThe Warehouses of Ostia [00:49:43 - 00:56:19 ]

Horrea (light blue); Bakeries (pink)

Horrea Epagathiana

Grandi Horrea: Detail of a threshold with holes of the suspensurae. Photograph: Jan Theo Bakker

Grandi Horrea -plan

Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana (I,VIII,3)

Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana (I,VIII,3)

Columns , Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana

Courtyard, Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana (I,VIII,3)

Courtyard, Horrea Epagathiana et Epaphroditiana (I,VIII,3)

Magazzino dei Doli (III,XIV,3)

Caseggiato dei Doli (I,IV,5)Dolia defossa seen from the NW.

Photograph: Melissa Sellers.

Corpora - Collegia

• Associations sharing common interests• Legally recognized• Professional, religious, funerary• Formal organization• Patrons – sources of influence?

Urban Cohorts

• Briefly had units at Ostia• Supplemented by vigiles• Areas of control

– Markets – prices, weights and measures– Roads– Runaway slaves

Caserma dei Vigili

Caserma dei VigiliLatrine"The Romans, although they ascribe their greatest successes to Fortuna, and believe her to be the greatest deity, carry her statue to the privy, thus assigning to her a fit temple.”

Clement of Alexandria, ~200 CE

Piazzale delle Corporazioni

Yale Open CoursesLecture 16 Roman ArchitectureTransacting Business at the Piazzale delle Corporazioni [00:23:20-00:36:57]

Piazzale delle Corporazioni

Alexandria

Trading Partners

Piazzale delle Corporazioni

Mauretania Caesariensis, Algeria.

Shippers from Turris Libisonis (Porto Torres, Sardinia)

Piazzale delle Corporazioni

Gummi, Tunisia

T. Flavius Stephanus Funeral stone

Graffito w. elephant

Elephant cart, Torlonia relief, Domitian?

Lion imports, Portus

Piazzale delle Corporazioni

Sabrata, Libya

Fabri tignuarii - Builders

• Military Organization – 16 cohorts of 22 men headed by a decurio

• Entrance fees – probably small contractors• About 2/3 are freedmen

– Many carry senatorial names or those of prominent citizens

– Some from outside the area– Some adoptees

• Leaders had considerable wealth

Caseggiato dei Triclini (I,XII,1)Guild Seat of the Builders

Caseggiato dei Triclini (I,XII,1)Room with a dining-couch. Photograph: Jan Theo Bakker.

Public Latrine at Caseggiato dei Triclini (I,XII,1)

Entrance , Public Latrine at Caseggiato dei Triclini (I,XII,1)

Marcus Licinius PrivatusA Guild Member Rises in rank

• Born a slave• Town clerk• President of fabri

tignuarii (~198) and bakers

• Donated 50,000 to city– Honorary councilor

• Son - Councilor• Grandson - knight

Relief with tools in the west facade, seen from the eastInsula IV - Botteghe I,IV,1

Photograph: Simon Bakker

Caseggiato dei Molini (I,III,1) Large hall with millstones

Photograph: Melissa Sellers.

Caseggiato dei Molini (I,III,1)Kneading MachinesPhotograph: Simon Bakker.

Sacello del Silvano (I,III,2)Cult room of bakers?

Blacksmith

Marble workers

Marble Yard

Entering, Leaving OstiaTerme dei Cisiarii (II,II,3)

Detail w. two passengers, Bill Thayer; Detail of cart, Jos Janssen.