Abstract EN:

The coastal area of the city of Ostia is characterized by a concentration of bath facilities built between the end of the 1st c. AD and the Late Antiquity period. The aim of this work is on the two main baths complexes discovered in the late 18 and mid 19 centuries, and extensively excavated in the first half of the 1970s: the Porta Marina Baths and the Terme Marittime. Their results were left unpublished, except for few specific studies on mosaic floors, architectonical elements and statuary.On these premises, the field research was organized in four steps: surveying, stratigraphic and technical studies; diachronic/synchronic analysis; interaction between maritime and coastal environments; and parallels with comparable contexts. Furthermore, new technologies have been involved for 3D surveying (UAV-photogrammetry, thermography, geophysical survey) thanks to the multidisciplinary project set up between CCJ, MAP and CEREGE, which turned into an innovative work in terms of methods of analysis.Concurrently, the investigation was extended on written sources based on the documentation of Ostia archives, Archivio Centrale di Stato, and Aerofototeca Nazionale. Ostia inscriptions preserved in the Vatican and Capitoline Museums, and recorded on the manuscripts of the late 18th century by G. Marini (Biblioteca Apostolica) and E.Q. Visconti (BNF Paris), were also included. The main objective was to understand the long-term evolution of these baths in the coastal townscape of Ostia, mainly based on architectural, functional, urbanistic and decor analyses.The project also inquires the legal status of these complexes, their commissioners and property, funding sources, and users.