The ancient Roman city of Ostia was in antiquity situated at the mouth of the river Tiber, some 30 kilometers to the west of Rome. The shoreline moved seawards, due to silting, from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Therefore Ostia is today still lying next to the Tiber but at a distance of some three kilometers from the beach. Ostia is Latin for "mouth", the mouth of the Tiber. The river was used as the harbor, but in the Imperial period, two harbor basins were added to the north, near Leonardo da Vinci airport. The harbor district was called Portus, Latin for "harbor". The site is noted for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings, magnificent frescoes, and impressive mosaics.
According to ancient tradition (authors such as Ennius, Livius, Cicero and Dionysius of Halicarnassus), Ostia was founded by the fourth king
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