Nevertheless I have managed to convince myself that I have by now a background, which allows me to work on an outline of the city. Fortunately I will not have to do it all by myself. It will be an effort of the Internet Group Ostia. The demands of classical archaeology are formidable. In order to grasp a city like Ostia, one should be familiar with Latin, Greek, epigraphy, legal sources, architecture, the history of art, religion, geology, and so on and so forth.
Archaeologists realize that an interdisciplinary effort is crucial.
On the other hand, interested lay-men, students, and those who come across Ostia during their studies require an overall description, an introduction. There are of course beginnings, and they are very good. Reading an article by Zevi or Floriani Squarciapino is a guaranteed thrill. Two aspects may be highlighted. A World Wide Web page can be updated with little cost.