Scavi di Ostia XIX. Il Tempio dei Fabri Navales (III, II, 1–2) e la fullonica sottostante represents a significant addition to the prestigious Scavi di Ostia series and an important milestone in the renewed editorial activity promoted by the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica. This volume presents the results of the archaeological investigations carried out between 1992 and 2005 in one of the most significant areas of ancient Ostia, offering an in-depth study of the Temple of the Fabri Navales and the buildings beneath it, the most significant of which is the fullonica, one of only five discovered at Ostia.[1] More generally, the work highlights the value of multidisciplinary archaeological research and demonstrates how a meticulous stratigraphic excavation can substantially refine our understanding of urban development, economic activity and associational life in the Roman world. An exceptional wealth of documentation is reflected in the volume’s 219 illustrations and drawings, as well as in six final plates devoted to the presentation of the stratigraphic analyses.
The excavations were carried out by an international team of scholars from the Université Saint Louis in Brussels and the Université de Namur, in collaboration with the former Archaeological Superintendence of Ostia. One of the book’s principal strengths is the systematic presentation of archaeological evidence according to the chronological sequence of occupation phases. Rather than limiting themselves to the description of architectural remains, the authors reconstruct the long-term history of the site, tracing its transformation from an industrial installation to a religious and collegial complex and, eventually, to a late antique storage area for architectural spolia.
The book’s structure is particularly effective. The first section provides a detailed account of the excavated remains, supported by extensive plans, elevations, and stratigraphic documentation. The second section contextualizes the archaeological evidence through the study of artefacts and their interpretation, integrating evidence from pottery, coins, inscriptions, stamped bricks, and other categories of material culture. The inclusion of radiocarbon analyses for charcoal samples collected from various stratigraphic layers further enhances the chronological framework and illustrates the editors’ commitment to employing a wide range of scientific methodologies.
A notable achievement of the volume is the exceptional level of detail devoted to stratigraphic analysis. Every phase of occupation, modification, abandonment, and reuse is carefully documented, allowing readers to follow the complex developmental history of the site. This meticulous approach reflects the methodological rigor of the excavation team and provides a valuable model for future urban archaeological publications. The quality of the documentation is particularly commendable, as it enables scholars to assess the proposed interpretations and to engage critically with the evidence.
The Temple of the Fabri Navales occupies a prominent position in the urban landscape of Ostia. Located in Regio III, along the north-western side of the western section of the Decumanus Maximus, the building was first excavated in 1938. Its attribution to the Fabri Navales guild is based primarily on the discovery of a dedicatory inscription mentioning one of the association’s patrons, P. Martius Philippus[2]. Subsequent finds, including fragments of a cippus bearing the names of ninety-four members of the guild, indicate the considerable size and importance of the organisation, which played a vital role in the shipbuilding and maintenance sector.
However, it was not possible to carry out a more detailed investigation of the oldest structures and layers, as the temple’s foundations rested on fill material; consequently, it was necessary to avoid any risk of subsidence or collapse whilst at the same time preserving the remains of earlier phases, such as the fullonica beneath.
The most original contribution of the book is perhaps the extensive analysis of the fullonica located beneath the temple. The identification of the installation is convincingly supported by the presence of basins, hydraulic systems, and work-related features associated with textile processing, washing, and dyeing. The discovery of a castellum aquae supplying the complex further strengthens this interpretation. It also reopens the debate on the development of the water supply in this part of the city up to the end of the 2nd century AD.
The reconstruction of the site’s chronology is equally persuasive. The site appears to have remained unbuilt until the mid-1st century BC. The earliest occupation phase, dating to the second half of that century, is attested by a well and a cistern connected with a structure that has not been excavated. A major levelling operation took place during the Augustan period, paving the way for a new architectural arrangement that included the construction of the castellum aquae. Two rows of tabernae, probably built during the reign of Claudius, were subsequently added and continued to function until the Trajanic period. The fullonica appears to have been founded during the reign of Trajan and to have continued its activities until the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Towards the end of the 2nd century AD, a significant rise in ground level led to the building being buried, upon which the Temple of the Fabri Navales was subsequently erected.
The scale and architectural layout of the structure strongly suggest that it functioned as a cult building associated with the collegium. Considering the considerable size and status of the association, the existence of distinct spaces for ceremonial and administrative functions appears entirely plausible. The so-called Schola of Trajan, situated directly opposite the temple, may therefore have served as the collegium’s administrative seat, complementing the religious role fulfilled by the temple itself.
The significance of the structure is reflected in the remodeling of its façade facing the Decumanus Maximus. By setting the building back from the street, a broader open space was created, lending greater prominence to the complex and visually affirming its elevated status compared with the simple workshop that had formerly stood there.[3]
The discussion of the later history of the monument is also valuable. Evidence suggests that the collegial function of the temple ceased by the end of the 3rd century AD, a phenomenon that reflects the wider decline of professional associations in Ostia. The building’s subsequent reuse as a marble storehouse from the end of the 4th century AD provides important insights into patterns of urban transformation in late antiquity. The recovery of 46 column shafts, 21 bases, and 9 capitals, several bearing the name of Rufius Volusianus, constitutes valuable evidence for renewed construction activity in Ostia during the later 4th and early 5th centuries AD. Whatever the exact identification of the individual concerned, the epigraphic evidence clearly refers to a senator of exceptional standing, active within both the Roman aristocratic milieu and the public life of Ostia.
The appendices constitute a further strength of the volume. They include catalogues of the coins recovered during the excavations—a particularly valuable contribution given the relative scarcity of studies devoted to Ostian numismatics—as well as the inscriptions found in stratified contexts, a lead fistula of uncertain interpretation,[4] and numerous stamped tiles and bricks.
In conclusion, integrating the previously known epigraphic sources—which record the composition of the collegium across at least three centuries—with the archaeological evidence precisely delineates the chronological and functional development of the site. De Ruyt’s substantial documentary contribution systematically reorganizes existing knowledge, effectively reconstructing this urban sector’s complex transformation from a production facility into a monumental collegial headquarters.
Notes
[1] With dimensions of 64 × 18 metres, the complex represents not only the largest fullonica in Ostia, but also the most extensive example yet identified in the Roman world. Such an exceptional scale has prompted scholars to argue that its activities were geared not merely towards meeting local demand, but also towards the wider distribution and export of reconditioned textiles. See Pavolini C. 2006, Ostia2 (Rome and Bari), p. 150.
[2] AE 1955, 177. The inscription is almost identical to CIL XIV, 169.
[3] It remains unclear whether the collegium acquired the site through its own economic means, thus implying a private transaction, or whether, as Françoise Van Haeperen has proposed, the area should be regarded as public property, since the urban modifications extended beyond the temple precinct and involved neighbouring structures as well. See De Ruyt C., C.T. Morard and F. Van Haeperen 2018, Ostia Antica. Nouvelles études et recherches sur les quartiers occidentaux de la cité (Brussels and Rome)161-165.
[4] In addition to the various interpretations suggested for the fistula on p. 254, in which the surname is read as Crtphvs by the author and ORPHEVS by other scholars, I would not rule out the possibility that it may represent a variant of the surname Orthrus, which is also attested at Ostia (CIL XIV, 258; CIL XIV, 1609).