This paper presents the results of a series of archaeological excavations directed by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma - sede di Ostia over the years 2001-2008, in an extended part of the ex-lagoon of Maccarese...
moreThis paper presents the results of a series of archaeological excavations directed by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma - sede di Ostia over the years 2001-2008, in an extended part of the ex-lagoon of Maccarese (170 hectares). This area has been inserted in the wider environmental context of the coastal belt of Rome, which especially in the last decade has been subject to a considerable number of studies.
For three thousand years, from the recent prehistoric period to the modern ages, the lagoon waters and borders represented major human resources, determining the dynamics of occupation and resource exploitation in the area. Our commitment so far has been to improve our understanding of the area and to explore how landscape modification can be interpreted.
With a special focus on the Roman Age, the excavations carried out in the ancient lagoon have brought to light a large hydraulic structure, dating back to the first half of the 1st century AD. This find, which for the moment doesn’t seem to compare to any installation in the areas pertaining to the ancient Roman world, was intended to isolate a large bay from the main body of the Maccarese lagoon and to control the water flow, in particular for activities related to salt extraction. The structures discovered seem to have a chronological connection with the harbours of Claudius and Traianus and with the Via Portuensis.