Ostia Antica in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Latium, Rome, Italy — Central Italy (Tyrrhenian Coast)
Dolia
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
1. Dolia Marker
Inscription.
I dolia sono grandi contenitori in terracotta di forma approssimativamente sferica, utilizzati a partire dall'età repubblicana fino al Medioevo per contenere derrate alimentari liquide, come olio e vino. Essi recano spesso iscrizioni che ne indicano la capacita, misurata in amphorae e generalmente pari o superiore a 1000 litri, o bolli che fomiscono indicazioni circa la loro produzioner tre degli esemplari esposti conservano marchi che ne documentano la provenienza da Minturno, nel Lazio meridionale, e la cronologia (intorno alla metà del I secolo d.C). I dolia erano impiegati sia per il trasporto sia per la conservazione delle merci gli esemplari esposti, recuperati a più riprese al largo della costa laziale, facevano certamente parte del carichi delle navi onerarie che solcavano il Mediterraneo; alla conservazione erano invece adibiti i dolia interrati (detti defossa) visibili in numerosi edifici ostiensi, quali ad esempio il Caseggiato del Doli e la Casa di Annio.
Dolia are large terracotta containers, roughly spherical in shape, used from the Republican period to the Middle Ages to hold liquid foodstuffs like oil and wine. They often bear inscriptions indicating their capacity, measured in amphorae and generally equal to or over 1000 litres, or stamps providing information on their manufacture: three of the specimens on display preserve stamps indicating that they came from Minturno, in southern Lazio, and their date (around the mid-1st century AD). Dolia were used both to transport and to store goods: those on display, recovered at different times off the coast of Lazio, certainly belonged to the cargoes of the merchant ships that plied the Mediterranean; by contrast, the buried dolia (known as dolia
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defossa) that can be seen in many of Ostia's buildings, such as the Caseggiato dei Doli and the Casa di Annio, were used for storage.
Erected by Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
Location. 41° 45.373′ N, 12° 17.288′ E. Marker is in Ostia Antica, Lazio (Latium, Rome), in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale. It is on Viale degli Scavi. The marker is at Ostia Antica Archaeological Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ostia Antica, 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: Raissa Samojlovna Gurevič Calza (within shouting distance of this marker); Giovanni Becatti (within shouting distance of this marker); Italo Gismondi (within shouting
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
