Museo Ostiense

The Ostiense Museum occupies the sixteenth-century Casone del Sale within the archaeological area of Ostia. Its twelve rooms organise objects from the ancient port around themes of civic life, power, religion, burial and domestic space.

Why it matters

Founded in 1934, the museum brings together objects recovered from Ostia's excavations, including portraits, inscriptions, votive works and architectural fragments. Its collections complement the ruins of the city by preserving evidence of the people who lived, worshipped and worked there.

What to notice

Among the highlights are a terracotta figure of Fortuna, a second-century-BC bust of Asclepius and a relief showing the haruspex Fulvius Salvis. Statues of Trajan and Sabina as Ceres represent imperial imagery. The Winged Victory once crowned Porta Romana, while fragments of the Fasti Ostiensi preserve the city's public record. The religious section includes a tauroctony of Mithras signed by the Athenian artist Kriton. Frescoes from the Domus dei Bucrani and a group of philosopher herms, including Themistocles, evoke domestic life.

Context and history

The museum was established in the former salt-administration building at the entrance to Ostia's excavations. The collection expanded in 1952 and was reorganised in 1962. A later renovation introduced a thematic arrangement across seven sections. Portraits spanning from the mid-first century BC to the second half of the fifth century AD offer a record of how residents of the Roman town represented themselves across the centuries.