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Ostia Antica in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Latium, Rome, Italy — Central Italy (Tyrrhenian Coast)
 

Terme di Nettuno. I Mosaici

L'Area a Servizio del Fiume e Il Quartiere Dei Magazzini

⎯⎯⎯
Baths of Neptune. The Mosaics

Area Serving River and Warehouse District

 
 
Terme di Nettuno. I Mosaici / Baths of Neptune. The Mosaics Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
1. Terme di Nettuno. I Mosaici / Baths of Neptune. The Mosaics Marker
Inscription. La visione dalla terrazza, che corrisponde al primo piano dell'edificio, consente di apprezzare l'omogeneità e la qualità della decorazione musiva dell'impianto: divinità e soggetti marini rimandano al tema dell'acqua, in evidente collegamento con la funzione termale. La prima sala (A) presenta Anfitrite, moglie di Nettuno, su un cavallo marino e accompagnata da tritoni; nel secondo ambiente (B) è rappresentato lo stesso Nettuno con tridente che guida una quadriga di cavalli marini, circondato da delfini e tritoni che suonano conchiglie. Il frigidarium (sala per i bagni freddi) (C) era anch'esso pavimentato con un mosaico raffigurante Scilla, il mostro che uccideva i naviganti, circondata da divinità marine. Questi mosaici costituiscono una importante testimonianza della ricca produzione musiva delle botteghe ostiensi dell'epoca di Adriano (117-138 d.C.).

The view from the terrace, on the first floor of the building, allows us to appreciate the uniformity and quality of the baths' mosaic decorations. Deities and marine subjects allude to the theme of water, clearly connected to the building's function as a bath complex.
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The first room (A) shows Amphitrite, Neptune's wife, riding a sea horse and accompanied by tritons; in the second room (B) is Neptune himself with a trident, driving a four-horse chariot drawn by sea horses, surrounded by dolphins and tritons blowing on shells. The
frigidarium (room for cold baths) (C) was also paved with a mosaic depicting Scylla, the monster who killed seafarers, surrounded by marine deities. These mosaics are important evidence of the rich mosaic production of Ostia's workshops at the time of Hadrian (AD 117-138).
 
Erected by Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & ArchaeologyArts, Letters, MusicReligion & Religious Structures.
 
Location. 41° 45.385′ N, 12° 17.562′ E. Marker is in Ostia Antica, Lazio (Latium, Rome), in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale. It is on no nearby street. The marker is in Ostia Antica Archaeological Park, atop a building used as an overlook. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Viale degli Scavi, Ostia Antica,
A view of one of the mosaics image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
2. A view of one of the mosaics
Lazio 00119, Italy. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, the Schengen Area, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Terme di Nettuno / Baths of Neptune (within shouting distance of this marker); Caserma dei Vigili / Police Barracks (within shouting distance of this marker); L'Area del Teatro e il Centro Delle Corporazioni Commerciali (within shouting distance of this marker); Horrea di Ortensio e Horrea dell'Artemide / The Warehouses of Hortensius and Artemis (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Ninfei Ai Lati del Teatro e c.d. Oratorio Cristiano / Nymphaeums and the Christian Oratorio (about 90 meters away); The Martyrs of Ostia Tiberina (about 90 meters away); Gli Interventi di Restauro e Rifunzionalizzazione del Teatro Romano di Ostia (about 90 meters away); In Memoriam Sanctae Monnicae / In Memory of Saint Monica (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ostia Antica.
 
Also see . . .  .
The Baths of Neptune and their mosaics image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
3. The Baths of Neptune and their mosaics
Excerpt: "To the east of the theatre are very large baths (c. 67 x 67 metres), today known as the Baths of Neptune. The building was excavated by Lanciani in 1888 and Vaglieri in 1909 and 1910. It is famous because of its black-and-white floor mosaics. The complex replaced baths from the late first century AD. The masonry is clearly Hadrianic, confirmed by brick stamps. Modifications took place in the last decade of the third and in the fourth century."
(Submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.) 
 
Baths of Neptune image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
4. Baths of Neptune
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 90 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
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Aug. 10, 2026