Built most likely between 110 and 117 AD by Emperor Trajan to allow ships to dock more safely while at the same time increasing the port’s activity, the hexagonal basin, designed perhaps by Apollodorus of Damascus, was dug into the dry land east of the pre-existing Harbour of Claudius. The enlargement of the port structures required digging the Roman Canal, which linked the Claudian-Age Fossa Traiana, to the Tiber. The basin covers 32 hectares; each side of the hexagon is 358 metres in length. The bottom of the basin was paved, and the banks were scarped to attenuate the wave energy. Large travertine blocks with holes anchored to the quays were used for mooring.
Aerial view of the hexagonal basin
Historical photo of the hexagonal basin and of Fossa Traiana
Historical photo of the hexagonal
Reconstruction of the hexagonal basin and of the Harbour of Claudius
(Portus Project/Artas Media)
Mooring block and surrounding wall of the hexagonal basin emptied of water
(O. Testaguzza)
The hexagonal basin emptied of water
(O. Testaguzza)
Historical photo of the hexagonal basin
Reconstruction of the hexagonal basin viewed from above
(Portus Project/Artas Media)
Aerial view of the hexagonal basin, Fossa Traiana, or “Trajan’s Canal,” and Isola Sacra
(photo: S. Keay)