The Navalia was a military port of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

which may also have included a naval dockyard. It is thought to have been sited on the left bank of the

river Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

to the south of the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

and is sometimes called the 'Navalia superiora' to distinguish it from another military port further down the Tiber near the

Forum Boarium The Forum Boarium (, it, Foro Boario) was the cattle ''forum venalium'' of ancient Rome. It was located on a level piece of land near the Tiber between the Capitoline, the Palatine and Aventine hills. As the site of the original docks of Rome ...

(the 'Navalia inferiora'). The structures, probably

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...

ed shipsheds of the period, were also mentioned as being used to hold hostages and circus animals, perhaps during the later period where silting meant navigation on the upper Tiber had become difficult.

History

In his book ''

Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an exp ...

'',

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

mentions the presence of "the docks at Rome". These are paired with consular names that suggest dates in the middle of the fourth century BCE, the earliest mentions we have. These docks appear to have been active throughout the republican period with its greatest activity between 146–135 BCE. They were clearly important, as indicated by an expansion project in the second century BCE that attracted the talent of the Greek architect

Hermodorus of Salamis Hermodorus of Salamis was an ancient Greek architect from Salamis, Cyprus who was highly active in ancient Rome between 146 BC and 102 BC, where his work includes the Temple of Jupiter Stator (2nd century BC) and the Temple of Mars. He also inspir ...

, then actively involved in several high-profile buildings. The Navalia appears to have been destroyed in 44 BCE and not subsequently rebuilt.

Location

The exact location is unknown but the consensus view south of the

is supported a passage in

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

mentioning the younger Cato returning from Cyprus in triumph. The text is helpfully descriptive: he is described as sailing through Rome on the Tiber, ignoring cheering crowds lining the river and not stopping before reaching "the dockyard". From there he parades his spoils through the Forum. This appears to imply downstream locations where he could have disembarked, either the Emporium or an earlier structure near the

, and supports the location for the Navalia adjacent to the Campus Martius.

Notes and references

Bibliography

*Lawrence Richardson, A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992 *Filippo Coarelli, Rome and environs: an archaeological guide, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2003 {{coord missing, Italy Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Roman harbors Roman harbors in Italy