Eight programmes on the background of the Roman world
5: Ostia by M. W. Frederiksen, Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford
Ostia lay at the mouth of the river Tiber and had a long history as the harbour town of Rome. The excavation of the last sixty years has revealed many of the buildings and housing blocks of the city centre, and fresh excitement has come quite recently when the remains of the first harbour were unearthed during the construction of Rome's new civil aerodrome. The ruins of Ostia are a rival to those of Pompeii and Herculaneum: they have given a clear and detailed picture of the commercial activities, the social life and the style of living in a town at the height of the Roman Empire. With readings by Tim Seely
Produced by Adrian Johnson
Second broadcast
M. K. Hopkins on Work and Slavery: September 20
A reading list can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed foolscap envelope to The Romans. [address removed].