Ostia, a Latin city, built by Ancus Martius at the mouth of the Tiber; it was afterwards made a colony and a sea port by that enterprising king. This commodious haven afforded to Rome the easy means of enjoying all the riches of foreign lands. Its excellent baths, its good cheer and its healthy site, fanned by the breezes of the Mediterranean, rendered Ostia a favourite resort with the pleasure-loving Romans.