Enormous canal found at Portus

Scholars discovered the 100-yard-wide (90-metre-wide) canal at Portus, the ancient maritime port through which goods from all over the Empire were shipped to Rome for more than 400 years.

The archaeologists, from the universities of Cambridge and Southampton and the British School at Rome, believe the canal connected Portus, on the coast at the mouth of the Tiber, with the nearby river port of Ostia, two miles away. . .

Until now, it was thought that goods took a more circuitous overland route along a Roman road known as the Via Flavia.

Sounds like a very promising site, one of the most worldly and cosmopolitan entrepots of its time.

Much less is known about Portus than neighbouring Ostia, and archaeologists hope that there are many discoveries waiting to be unearthed which could augment the understanding of ancient Rome's sophisticated trading network.

They expect Portus, which had to be abandoned after it began to silt up in the 6th century, to eventually rank alongside some of the world's best-known ancient cities. "Portus must be one of the most important archaeological sites in the world," said Prof Keay. "The great thing about Portus is that most of it has been preserved and there is much more to learn about the important role it played in Rome's success."

From the Telegraph.

Posted by David on August 2, 2010 7:50 PM