Roman City Life: Ostia

Prescribed visual/ material sources from Ostia, for J199/22 OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE. This page aims to give an overview and explanation of prescribed sources.

Insula of Diana

The Insula of Diana was built in 150AD at Ostia, during the reign of Antoninus Pius. It is one of the best examples of such a building that survive. It is a three-storey apartment building (not including the ground floor) which would have housed those who did not fit into the category of the elite. Here, the Latin word 'insula' means 'a block of flats'. Archaeologists named the building 'Insula of Diana' because they found a relief depicting the goddess Diana (or Artemis in Greek) on one of the walls in the inner courtyard when it was first excavated in 1914-1916. The wealthier you were, the higher up the apartment block you could afford to live.

 

Living well was not possible in Roman insulae (blocks of flats). There was little room in the living space, and what there was was shared. Lots of stairs and shared toilet facilities also made life less than pleasant, along with some rooms not even having windows. The central courtyard would have let some light in, though. Some larger apartments would have been suitable for families, but most rooms were smaller and likely intended for temporary residents. This flat was on a busy street- good for proximity to public places but less suitable for peace and quiet. Flats like this were not entirely safe! Particularly as additional stories were added, insulae were not always stable and for those living on upper floors, fires were hard to escape.

For further information, see the following links:

Insula of Diana: ostia-antica.orgLink opens in a new window

Insula of Diana: romansinfocus.comLink opens in a new window

Insula of Diana: Parco Archeologico Di Ostia AnticaLink opens in a new window