Amiternum

History

The site, in the upper Aterno valley, was one of the most important of Sabinum.

Amiternum was defeated by the Romans in 293 BC.

It lay at the point of junction of four roads: the Via Caecilia, the Via Claudia Nova and two branches of the Via Salaria.

There are considerable remains of an amphitheatre and a theatre, all of which belong to the imperial period, while on the hill of the surrounding village of San Vittorino there are some Christian catacombs.

A well known Roman funerary relief of the first century BC depicts the Roman funeral procession or pompa.

Archaeology

Amiternum has been the focus of a major interdisciplinary research project led by the University of Cologne. The work demonstrates a distinction between an early hilltop settlement at San Vittorino, likely established by the 3rd century BC or earlier, and a later Roman settlement relocated to the valley floor along the Via Caecilia during the Late Republic. Evidence suggests that the hilltop site was extensive and possibly fortified, while the valley settlement lacked defensive walls and developed in a linear fashion along major roads.

Geophysical surveys revealed an unexpectedly high concentration of public monuments in the valley settlement, including a forum, basilica, sanctuaries, baths, theater, and amphitheater, contrasted with a relatively small number of residential buildings. Among these is one of the largest known urban domus in Roman Italy, indicating the presence of a wealthy local elite. The settlement appears to have functioned as a regional administrative, religious, and economic center serving a dispersed population living in surrounding vici and villae.