Portus, Sea Gates of Rome

The Roman port is now two miles from the current coastline. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

In its heyday, the building of the newly discovered by an archaeological team was once the entrance to the city of Rome by sea. The length of the second century buildings that reach 145 meters by 60 meters wide, larger than a football field. The roof rises as high as 15 meters or more from the triple decker double-decker bus. Pillar or pole that is composed of large bricks, some of which have a width of up to 3 meters, visible support eight arches roofed wood. The ruins are evidence of the triumph of the structure was Portus, the port of the Roman Empire in the past.

Stairs to a Roman warehouse, where goods would have been stored at the busy ancient port. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

The existence of the ancient port was revealed in the excavations conducted by a team of archaeologists from the University of Southampton and the British School at Rome (BSR). They believe the site is a large Roman shipyard.

Professor Simon Keay inspecting cellars, untouched for almost 2,000 years. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

In collaboration with the Italian Archaeological Superintendency of Rome, they found the remains of a large building which was built near the hexagonal-shaped basin that became "port" in the center of the harbor complex.

The unearthed statue

"Initially we thought this building was a warehouse, but the results of recent excavations revealed evidence that in the past this building and buildings connected with the maintenance of the ship," said Simon Keay, Project Director of Portus. "Some of the shipyard of the Roman Empire have been found and if our identification is correct, this will be the largest shipyard in Italy or the Mediterranean."

Portus has been recognized as an important trade gateway that connects Rome to the Mediterranean during the Roman imperial period, and the team investigate the role of Portus Project 1 port on the other. Until now there was no building large shipyards identified in Rome, in addition to a single location near the mouth of the Tiber River near Monte Testaccio, and the newly discovered small shipyard in Ostia.

Blast from the past: A statue head uncovered after a six-year dig by British archaeologists at the site of the ancient port of Portus, which supplied Rome. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

"The structures that can accommodate large wood, canvas, and large enough to make or keep a boat in it," said Keay, who is also a lecturer at the University of Southampton. "The scale, position, and its uniqueness makes us believe the building plays an important role."

The well-preserved site of Portus is close to Fiumicino airport near Rome. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

Keay and his investigation team in 2009 focused on the ruins of the imperial palace and the nearby amphitheater-shaped building. Keay expressed throughout the building was important to form a complex that became the office manager of the entire movement of the ship and cargo at the port. Other supporting evidence comes from the mosaic and the manuscript was found in a Portus mentioned the existence of a group of experts in the port's shipbuilders.

Reconstruction of Portus. (Picture from: http://wwwromanitas.wordpress.com/)

Southampton University created this computer generated image of how the port may have looked like from the top of the inner lighthouse. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

Experts are now convinced that Portus is a unique and important heritage site. (Picture from: http://heritage-key.com/)

"The discovery of these buildings have profound implications on our understanding of the importance of the hexagonal basin or harbor at Portus and its role in the overall scheme of the port complex," said Keay. *** [TJANDRA DEWI | SCIENCEDAILY | DAILYMAIL | PORTUS PROJECT | KORAN TEMPO 3680]

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