New technologies applied to archaeology unveil Trajan's hexagonal harbor

Thanks to the use of new technologies, archaeological investigations are being carried out that reveal new elements on the colossal imperial hexagonal basin: more than 357 meters per side and an area of about 32 hectares, in the port complex of Claudius and Trajan.

The first investigations on the basin began in February 2021 in order to acquire the exact data of the construction characteristics of the harbor basin, in relation to its attendance and use, with the realization of the documentation and recovery of any useful evidence for the reconstruction of the various phases of life, in a synchronic and diachronic sense, of the most important seaport of antiquity. The survey is part of the activity of the Archaeological Park of Ancient Ostia, placed under the coordination of the Director of the Archaeological Park Alessandro d’Alessio, and the Head of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection Service, underwater archaeologist officer Alessandra Ghelli.

The first detections, underwater, carried out with the technical operational support of the Carabinieri Underwater Nucleus of Rome and the Carabinieri Tpc Nucleus of Rome, have allowed the recovery of some ceramic fragments that can be traced back to transport containers (amphora tips and necks, handles) and building materials (bricks and tiles).

Now a new phase of research is underway for the basin encompassed within private property and managed by the non-profit Portus Foundation, which has allowed its use since 1993.

“Visibility within the hexagonal basin, due to the quality of the water and the characteristics of the sediment that covers its bottom, is almost zero,” Alessandra Ghelli tells ANSA. “New impetus to the activities is provided by the use of new technologies, resorting to instrumentation for marine geophysics applied to cultural heritage.”

New technologies applied to archaeology unveil Trajan's hexagonal harbor

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