Port of Trajan Archaeological Park

World Monuments Watch
Fiumicino, Italy

2002 and 2004 World Monuments Watch

The largest and one of the best-preserved Roman ports in the Mediterranean, the Port of Trajan actually comprises two harbor facilities near the Tiber River, linked together by an impressive second-century A.D., building, the so-called Imperial Palace. The town of Portus grew up around the harbors and by the early fifth century was enclosed by a city wall. Portus remained the principal port for ships bound for Rome and an important trading hub until its abandonment in the ninth century due to a change in coastline that rendered it inaccessible. Most of the ports ancient structures are in ruinous condition, due in part to nineteenth-century "excavations” by treasure-seekers. The loss of marble facings and displaced mounds of earth within the Imperial Palace have caused decay and the collapse of much of its masonry core. In the late 1980s, the area became state property and a program of restoration began, funds for which have remained scarce. Since the site’s first listing in 2002, the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici di Ostia has continued excavation and conservation of the palace. Topographical and geophysical surveys of buried structures that began in 1998 have now been completed. Vegetation has been removed so that conservators have full access to the structure and can begin to address issues of stabilization and consolidation of surviving remains, and repair the buildings drainage system and main access road, which were damaged by repeated flooding in 2002.

Since the Watch

Fieldwork and research have been undertaken by the University of Southampton's School of Humanities. The first phase took place in 1998-2004. Fieldwork resumed in 2007 with a focus on the Palazzo Imperiale. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma, the University of Southampton, the British School at Rome, and the University of Cambridge. As a result of this work, a number of publications have been completed, and more are forthcoming. January 2011

Last updated: June 2018.

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