Antium: Difference between revisions

The territory of Roman Antium almost entirely corresponded to modern [[Anzio]] and [[Nettuno]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">P. Brandizzi Vittucci, ''Antium: Anzio e Nettuno in epoca romana'', Roma, Bardi Editore (2000). {{ISBN|88-85699-83-9}}.</ref><ref name=":3" />

The Latin-volscian<ref name=":0" /> town stood in the Capo d'Anzio (modern Anzio), on a higher ground and somewhat away from the shore, though it extended down to it. This was defended by a deep ditch, which can still be traced, and by walls, a portion of which, on the eastern side, constructed of rectangular blocks of tufa, was brought to light in 1897.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Antium|volume=2|page=147}}</ref> The fortification of the town would  included the acropolis, to which it would be adjacent to the east, isolated but connected.<ref name=":2" /> The Latin colony of 467 BC, of which it will be said later, would be installed alongside the fortified Latin-volscian oppidum, also to the est.<ref name=":1" />

A coeval port town, Caenon, was the port under the control of Antium (which did not have a natural harbour of its own):<ref>Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) William Smith "Antium"; The Topography of Rome and Its Vicinity By Sir William Gell, 1846, "Antium"; Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy by John Murray, 1843, "Nettuno", p. 534.</ref> according to alternative theories, the port of Caenon would be located in the Capo d'Anzio,<ref name=":2">G. Lugli, ''Saggio sulla topografia dell'antica Antium'', Roma (1940). </ref> or the port town very north of it,<ref>G. Cifani, A. Guidi, A. M. Jaia, ''Nuove ricerche nel territorio di Colle Rotondo ad Anzio'', inon G. Ghini (aedited cura diby), ''Lazio e Sabina 7'' (atti del Convegno, Roma, 2010), Roma, Edizioni Quasar, 2011.</ref> or the town on a hill near Nettuno to the east, and the port over the mouth of the nearby river Loricina.<ref name=":1" />

The settlement of Roman Antium was certainly present in the area of the Capo d'Anzio (forin exampleparticular, a presumed extensive town since the mid-republican age,<ref>T. De Haas, G. Tol, P. Attema, ''Investing in the colonia and ager of Antium'', on Daniele Malfitana, Jeroen Problome, John Lund (edited by), «Facta: a journal of roman material culture studies», Pisa-Roma, Fabrizio Serra, vol. V, 2011. </ref> the imperial colony and the great harbour of [[Nero]]), but a parallel agricultural settlement, with the same name, was likely to be in the same position as modern Nettuno since the colony of 338 BC; so from 60 AD the ''colonia'' ''Antium'' of Nero in the Capo d'Anzio would coexisted with a supposed, more ancient, ''civitas Antium'' in Nettuno, which in the 4th century AD would have been the only real town:<ref name=":1" /> <ref>L. Ceccarelli, F. Di Mario, F. Papi ''et al'', ''Atlante storico ambientale Anzio e Nettuno'', Roma, De Luca (2003), pp. 94-96, 160-161.</ref> a thesis that has found some perplexities<ref name=":4">B. Cacciotti, ''Testimonianze di culti orientali ad Antium'', inon B. P. Benetucci (curator), ''Culti orientali tra scavo e collezionismo'', Roma, Artemide (2008).</ref> or an opposition.<ref name=":3">H. Solin, ''Arctos: Acta Philologica Fennica'', vol. 36, Helsinki (2002), pp. 210-211.</ref>

In 464 BC the Antiates were suspected of allying with the [[Aequi]] against Rome. The chief men of Antium were summoned to Rome howeverbut they didn'tdid not give adequate explanations. Antium was asked to contribute emergency troops for the Roman [[Roman-Aequian wars#Ongoing hostilities from 485 BC|war]] against the Aequi, however the force of 1,000 troops from Antium arrived too late to help.<ref>Livy, iii. 4–5.</ref>

With the expansion of [[Roman Republic]] Antium was just far enough away to be insulated from the riots and tumults of Rome. The Romans built magnificent seaside villas there and when Cicero returned from exile, it was at Antium that he reassembled the batteredtheir remains of his libraries, where the scrolls would be secure. Remains of Roman villas are conspicuous all along the shore, both to the east and to the northwest of the town.<ref name="EB1911" /> [[Gaius Maecenas]] also had a villa. Many ancient masterpieces of sculpture have been found there: the ''[[Fanciulla d'Anzio]]'', the ''[[Borghese Gladiator]]'' (in the [[Louvre]]) and the ''[[Apollo Belvedere]]'' (in the [[Vatican Museums|Vatican]]) were all discovered in the ruins of villas at Antium. When Cicero returned from exile, it was at Antium that he reassembled the battered remains of his libraries, where the scrolls would be secure.

Of the villas, the most famous was the imperial villa, known as theDomus Neroniana (Villa of Nero),<ref name="EB1911" /> which was used by each emperor in turn, up to the [[Severan dynasty|Severans]] and which extended some {{convert|800|m|ft}} along the seafront of the Capo d'Anzio. Augustus received a delegation from Rome there to acclaim him ''Pater patriae'' ("Father of his Country"). The Julian and Claudian emperors frequently visited it; both Emperor [[Caligula]] and [[Nero]] were born in Antium. Nero razed the villa on the site to rebuild it on a more massive scale and according to an imperial style. Including a theatre were built in Antium.<ref name="EB1911" /> In 60 AD<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'', xiv. 27; [[Suetonius]],''The Twelve Caesars'', vi. 9.</ref> Nero also founded a colony of veterans and built a new harbour, the projecting moles of which still exist.<ref name="EB1911" /> <ref name=":1" />

Of the famous temple of [[Fortuna|Fortune]] ([[Horace]], ''Od''. i. 35) no remains are known.,<ref name="EB1911" /> but its location is assumed in the Capo d'Anzio, area of the Domus Neroniana.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />

=== [[Late Antiquity]] ===

Attacked by the [[Vandals]] of [[Gaiseric]] (5th century), the [[Goths]] of [[Vitiges]] (6th century), and then by the [[Saracen|Saracens]],<ref>{{cite web |title=''PORTO D'ANZIO'', on ''Enciclopedia dell' Arte Antica (1965)''|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/porto-d-anzio_(Enciclopedia-dell'-Arte-Antica)/|author= A. La Regina|website=treccani.it|language=it|access-date=2022-02-04}}</ref> in the [[Middle Ages]] Antium was deserted in favour of Nettuno, which maintained the legacy of the ancient town.<ref name="EB1911" />

* B. Cacciotti, ''Testimonianze di culti orientali ad Antium'', inon B. P. Benetucci (curator), ''Culti orientali tra scavo e collezionismo'', Roma, Artemide (2008).

* G. Cifani, A. Guidi, A. M. Jaia, ''Nuove ricerche nel territorio di Colle Rotondo ad Anzio'', inon G. Ghini (aedited cura diby), ''Lazio e Sabina 7'' (atti del Convegno, Roma, 2010), Roma, Edizioni Quasar, 2011.

* {{cite web|title=''Anzio. Vallo Volsco: Vallo Italico Tirrenico'', on ''CambiaVersoAnzio''|url=https://cambiaversoanzio.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/anzio-vallo-volsco-vallo-italico-tirrenico/|author=A. Pensword|website=cambiaversoanzio.wordpress.com|date=10 October 2014 |language=|access-date=2022-02-02}}