Republican period There was a small port and
harbor for commercial trade. The city of Ravenna, north of the harbor, was founded in the late 3rd or early 2nd century BC.
Early Roman Imperial period Origins of Classe showing the military port of Classe Sometime between 35 and 12 BC, Octavian (later known as emperor
Augustus) established Ravenna's harbor as one of the home ports for his new Roman navy. South of the harbor, the area was occupied mainly by cemeteries, but by the 2nd century AD a town, known in
Latin as
Classis, had grown up. Augustus may have chosen this site because of its strategic position. The area in which Augustus wanted to construct Classe was in a
lagoon. It was impregnable from land and surrounded by
marshes. The base was artificially constructed in this lagoon. Unlike the ports of
Portus or
Ostia, Classe did not feature a hexagonal basin. Instead the base installations were built on stilts. Once those were in place the port was made of large oak beams. By the 1st century CE the builders had incorporated ceramic fragments. By the 2nd century, it was redone with bricks. Augustus designed the port for military purposes only. The town had only one weakness, access to fresh water. This obstacle was overcome by the Emperor
Trajan who built a long
aqueduct to Ravenna, that might also have supplied Classe. After the fleet was built, the population of the soldiers and their families living there grew slowly but steadily. For the next three hundred years, Classe would be one of Rome's most important naval bases, the home of the eastern Mediterranean fleet. According to
Jordanes,
Cassius Dio put the size of the fleet at two hundred and fifty ships.
Later Roman Imperial period Due to the
crisis of the third century, Ravenna and the port began to decline. The city of Ravenna was sacked at least twice in the 250s and 260s, and the harbor was no longer maintained; it started drying out and began filling with
silt. Despite this, as early as 306, Roman emperors started staying at Ravenna in order to watch the harbor to see if any enemies were close. When Ravenna was chosen as an official western imperial capital in 402, Classe became more prosperous than ever, and the residential area to the south of the harbor was surrounded by a wall in the late 4th century A vital part of the royal administration was its grain warehouse and distribution. Even after 476, when Ravenna was no longer a Roman imperial capital, it and its port survived, and the town of Classe was restored under the Ostrogothic king
Theodoric.
Society While Ravenna was an imperial capital some sailors and their families lived there. However, the majority of the sailors and their families lived in the vast barracks of the imperial fleet. Because there were no other large cities in the area, families stayed, putting down roots in Ravenna and Classe (note that sailors were not legally allowed to be married while enlisted in the fleet). However, once Ravenna became the imperial capital in 402, it appears Classe fell under its jurisdiction.
Christian presence Archeological remains show Christianity was an important part of life in Classe. “It became a focus of the earliest Christian community.”
Sant'Apollinare in Classe is the only church from Classe still standing today. Other churches near Sant'Apollinare were dedicated to other early bishops who had been buried there, as this was the region in which cemeteries were located in the Roman period. There is no evidence of Classe ever having its own bishop. This was probably because Classe was so much smaller than Ravenna. Finally, the church of
Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in the city of Ravenna features a
mosaic depicting the harbor of Classe in the 520s. In the mosaic, the city of Classe is walled, with an
amphitheatre and
basilica. The entrance of the harbor is flanked by two
lighthouses. The Classe that Theodoric inherited was no longer a first class military port. Part of the harbor was completely dried up; however, Theodoric worked to repair the harbor and port. Despite this renovation, the port was no longer an important military naval outpost. In fact Classe was taken off of the formal army register. Classe in the early 6th century became a prosperous cosmopolitan naval and trading center. Because of this, there was an increase in population. New churches and basilicas were built for the new population, including
Sant'Apollinare in Classe, mentioned above. Another major church of this time was the San Severo. Construction on it began in 570 by Archbishop Peter III and was completed Archbishop John II in 582. Upon completion it was dedicated to Ravenna's 4th-century bishop,
Saint Severus.
Lombard War During the late 6th century, the barbarian group known as the
Lombards invaded Ravenna and plundered Classe in 579. The raid was led by Faroald, the Duke of Spoleto, who controlled the cities for a short time. However,
Drocdulf, a
Sueve who fought for the eastern Empire regained Classe and forced the Lombards to give the cities back to the Eastern Empire. In 717-8 the Lombard duke Faroald captured Classe, but was ordered to withdraw by King Liutprand, who himself captured Classe a few years later and again returned it to the Byzantines. In 751, another king,
Aistulf, succeeded in conquering Ravenna. This ended the Exarchate of Ravenna. During the Lombard Wars, while Ravenna was spared for the most part, Classe seems to have been completely destroyed. By this time the harbor had completely dried up. Because of the Lombard Wars and the decay of the harbor, the city of Classe dramatically shrank. After this event, Classe was never again an important port militarily or commercially.
Middle Ages The Frankish king
Pepin the Short drove the Lombards out of Ravenna and Classe in 756; following this, the territory was briefly ruled by the archbishops of Ravenna. Pepin's son
Charlemagne's conquest of the Lombard kingdom in 774 saw the two cities turned over to the
Pope and they became part of the newly formed
Papal States. In the mid-9th century, Classe was raided and sacked by
Muslims. Also, sometime in the Middle Ages, the Po River completely destroyed the port. Because of this, archeologists are forced to use other evidence to reconstruct how the port may have looked.
Modern era Today Classe is an archaeological site. The main excavation sites are: Podere Chiavichetta, San Severo, Podere Marabina and Saint Probus. The ground under Ravenna and Classe has been sinking for centuries. In fact, it sinks about every century. This makes excavating extremely difficult. When archeologists dig they find artifacts at various levels. From below the surface there is material dating from Imperial rule; from , material from the Ostrogothic Kingdom; and from , material from the Republic. Due to the accumulation of silt, the coastline has moved to the east. If visiting Classe, one has to climb to the top of the last watch tower to see the ocean. On 16 July 2015 the archeological site became a museum which is open for visitors. ==Classe fleet==