Originally a colony of Rome, Ostia grew to become the major port of the city. It was situated on the mouth of the Tiber. The town's growth started in the late Republic, but expanded rapidly under the Emperors Claudius and Trajan. The town was deserted after Rome's fall in 476 AD, and the buildings fell into ruins which were in turn covered by sand and mud from the Tiber, preserving the buildings. The ancient town remained farmland until excavations took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and now most of the town is uncovered, giving the visitor an idea of what life was like in an Ancient Roman commercial town during the height of the Empire. The ruins are similar to those in Pompeii, but there are no wealthy houses in Ostia. http://wikitravel.org/en/Ostia Antica