Читать книгу Nicaea - The Rise of the Imperial Church - William Speir - Страница 13

Late in the afternoon on the eighth day of their journey from Gades, the two warships steered into Portus, the great port just south of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber River. From where he stood on the upper deck of the galley, Athanasius saw a series of walls being built to provide greater protection to the sprawling central hub of Roman commerce.

The size of the port was impressive. For centuries, Rome had wanted a deep water port, and in the end, the Emperor Claudius had it dug in one of the greatest engineering triumphs that the empire had ever seen. Two man-made basins and a man-made island for the harbor’s lighthouse made up the bulk of the harbor, and the warehouse district that surrounded the harbor was so vast that it could easily be mistaken for Rome herself.

Athanasius and Titurius remained on board the galley while Hosius and Sebastian went ashore to meet with Sylvester, the Bishop and Patriarch of Rome. The eight-day journey to Thessalonika required extra supplies, and it would take time for the crew to procure and load the supplies. The warships would be docked all night, all of the next day, and the next night, leaving Portus the following morning.