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Roman Horrea

Roman horrea were the large warehouses of ancient Rome and its ports, such as the Horrea Galbae in Rome and the Grandi Horrea at Ostia, that stored grain, olive oil, wine, and other goods for the city.

2nd century BCE to 5th century Rome and Ostia, Italy

What happened and why it matters

The horrea are among the clearest ancient ancestors of the modern warehouse: purpose-built storage that buffered supply against demand for a city of up to a million people. Grain ships unloaded at Ostia and other ports, and goods were held in rows of rooms around courtyards until needed. The Horrea Galbae in Rome had more than 140 ground-floor rooms, and Ostia's grain warehouses used raised floors to keep stock dry and away from rodents. Warehouses today solve the same problems: they protect inventory, control access, and hold safety stock so that supply disruptions do not reach the customer.

Related events

Sources

  1. Horrea Galbae en.wikipedia.org
  2. Grandi Horrea (II,IX,7) ostia-antica.org
  3. Ostia worldhistory.org