Ostia, Rome’s Port: Part Six

While our vision of temples may be of big buildings, there were in fact small temples in various places in the ancient cities including in Ostia.

These temples were built for gods believed to protect sailors and sailing.  And adjacent to these buildings were collegiale, or association buildings for those who were guilds of workers who built and maintained these buildings, as well the business buildings nearby— so carpenters, stone masons, pipe fitters, plumbers and more.

Some of the nearby commercial buildings towered over these temples and collegiale buildings… and they were originally decorated with marble on the outside of the bricks..