Antium
Antium was an ancient coastal city of Latium, situated approximately 51 km south of Rome in the area now occupied by the modern towns of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. Originally established by the Latial culture in the early 1st millennium BCE, Antium later emerged as the principal stronghold of the Volsci people before its conquest by the Roman Republic in 338 BCE. Under Roman rule, the city evolved into a prominent colonia and fashionable seaside resort, noted for its luxurious villas, harbor works, and cultural patronage. It was also the birthplace of emperors Caligula and Nero. In Roman mythology, Antium was said to have been founded by Anteias, a son of Odysseus.
Topography
[edit]Geographic setting
[edit]The ancient Latin–Volscian town was situated on the Capo d'Anzio, an elevated area slightly inland from the coast, though its settlement extended to the shoreline. The site was naturally defensible, protected by a deep ditch—still partially visible—and fortified walls. A section of the eastern wall, built with rectangular blocks of tufa, was uncovered in 1897.[1]
Fortifications and civic structures
[edit]The town's fortifications included an acropolis to the east, likely connected yet distinct from the main settlement. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Latin colony established in 467 BCE was built adjacent to this pre‐existing Volscian settlement.[2][3]
Harbor facilities
[edit]The nearby port of Caenon served as Antium's harbor during its early period since the town itself lacked a natural harbor. The precise location of Caenon is debated: it may have been on the Capo d'Anzio, further north, or on a hill near Nettuno with a port at the mouth of the river Loricina.[4][5][6] During the Neronian period, substantial artificial harbor installations were constructed, the remains of which are still visible today.[7]
Settlement pattern and expansion
[edit]Roman Antium was centered at Capo d'Anzio—especially from the mid-Republican period onward, with the imperial colony and Nero's harbor—but may have coexisted with an earlier agricultural settlement near modern Nettuno. From 60 CE, Nero's colonia Antium in Capo d'Anzio likely existed alongside an older civitas Antium in Nettuno, which appears to have remained inhabited into the 4th century CE.[2][8] This dual‐settlement theory has met with some skepticism and opposition.[9][10]
History
[edit]Early Settlement (11th–5th centuries BCE)
[edit]Archaeological evidence indicates human occupation in the area dating back to the 11th century BCE, associated with the Latial culture. The nature and extent of this early settlement remain subjects of ongoing research.[2]
Volscian Period (5th–4th centuries BCE)
[edit]Antium served as the capital of the Antiates Volsci on the Tyrrhenian coast.[11] In 493 BCE—possibly marking the Volscian settlement—the Roman consul Postumus Cominius Auruncus defeated two armies from Antium and captured the nearby towns of Longula, Pollusca, and Corioli.[12]
According to Plutarch, the Roman leader Coriolanus fled to Antium and was hosted by the Volscian noble Attius Tullus Aufidius, though he was ultimately assassinated.[13]
In 469 BCE, the port of Caenon was destroyed by the Roman consul Titus Numicius Priscus. In 468 BCE, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus captured Antium, and in 467 BCE a Latin colony was established. The allocation of lands was managed by ex‐consuls Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus, Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus, and Capitolinus himself.[14]
In 464 BCE, the Antiates were suspected of conspiring with the Aequi. Their explanations were deemed unsatisfactory, and although ordered to provide troops, their forces arrived too late.[15]
In 338 BCE, Antium was decisively defeated; its warships were seized or burned, and navigation from the town was banned. The bronze rostra of the destroyed ships were mounted in the Roman Forum, giving the speaker's platform its name.[16]
Republican Period (338–27 BCE)
[edit]After 338 BCE, Antium became a Roman colony and was designated a municipium in 317 BCE.[17] Its local governance was administered by duumvirs[18] and quaestors.[3] During the civil wars, Antium—an important supplier of grain—aligned with Sulla but was attacked and devastated by Marian forces in 87 BCE.[19][2]
Imperial Period (27 BCE–476 CE)
[edit]
Antium reached its zenith during the early Imperial period. It became a resort town for the Roman elite, and the imperial villa, known as the Domus Neroniana, extended about 800 metres (2,600 ft) along Capo d'Anzio.[20] Augustus was acclaimed Pater patriae there, and both Caligula and Nero were born in the town. Nero later rebuilt the imperial villa and constructed a theater. In 60 CE, he founded a veterans' colony and built substantial harbor installations whose piers are still extant.[21] Antium is also renowned for its artistic treasures, including the Fanciulla d'Anzio, the Borghese Gladiator (now in the Louvre), and the Apollo Belvedere (in the Vatican Museums).
Late Antiquity (4th–6th centuries CE)
[edit]Several bishops from Antium are documented as having attended synods in Rome, including Gaudentius (465), Felix (487), and Vindemius (499 and 501). Invasions during the 6th century led to the end of Antium as a residential bishopric; it is now recognized as a titular see.[22]
Medieval Decline
[edit]Antium was later attacked by the Vandals under Gaiseric, the Goths under Vitiges, and by Saracen raiders.[7] These incursions contributed to its decline in favor of Nettuno, which eventually inherited much of Antium's legacy.[20] Though often described as a medieval foundation,[10] Nettuno was later viewed in both early modern and modern eras as the successor to ancient Antium.[23][2]
Religious Structures
[edit]Temple of Fortuna
[edit]No physical trace remains of the famed temple to Fortuna—mentioned by Horace in Odes (i.35)—although it is presumed to have stood near the Domus Neroniana.[20][2][9]
Other Cult Sites
[edit]Various other religious structures have been identified within the archaeological area, though many remain poorly documented.
Archaeological Discoveries
[edit]Major Artworks
[edit]Antium has yielded several masterpieces of ancient sculpture, including:
- The Fanciulla d'Anzio (Girl of Anzio)
- The Borghese Gladiator (now in the Louvre)
- The Apollo Belvedere (in the Vatican Museums)
Excavation History
[edit]Systematic archaeological investigations have been conducted periodically since the 18th century, with major campaigns occurring in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Ashby, Thomas (1927). The Roman Campagna in Classical Times. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 147.
- ^ a b c d e f Brandizzi Vittucci, Paola (2000). Antium: Anzio e Nettuno in epoca romana. Rome: Bardi Editore. ISBN 88-85699-83-9.
- ^ a b Lugli, Giuseppe (1940). Saggio sulla topografia dell'antica Antium. Rome: Tipografia del Senato.
- ^ Smith, William (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: Walton and Maberly. p. 147.
- ^ Gell, Sir William (1846). The Topography of Rome and Its Vicinity. London: Henry G. Bohn.
- ^ Murray, John (1843). Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy. London: John Murray. p. 534.
- ^ a b La Regina, Armando (1965). "Porto d-Anzio". Enciclopedia dell'Arte Antica. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
- ^ Ceccarelli, L.; Di Mario, F.; Papi, F. (2003). Atlante storico ambientale Anzio e Nettuno. et al. Rome: De Luca. pp. 94–96, 160–161.
- ^ a b Cacciotti, Beatrice (2008). "Testimonianze di culti orientali ad Antium". In Benetucci, B. P. (ed.). Testimonianze di culti orientali ad Antium. Culti orientali tra scavo e collezionismo. Rome: Artemide.
- ^ a b Solin, Heikki (2002). Arctos: Acta Philologica Fennica. Vol. 36. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica. pp. 210–211.
- ^ Livy, Titus. "33". Ab urbe condita. Vol. 2.
- ^ Livy, Titus. Ab urbe condita. pp. ii.33.
- ^ Plutarch. "Coriolanus". Parallel Lives. pp. 20.1–3, 22.1.
- ^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Roman Antiquities. pp. ix.56.; Livy. Ab urbe condita. pp. ii.63–65, iii.1.
- ^ Livy, Titus. Ab urbe condita. pp. iii.4–5.
- ^ Livy. Ab urbe condita. pp. viii.13–14.; Florus. Epitomae de Tito Livio bellorum. pp. i.5.
- ^ Livy, Titus. Ab urbe condita. pp. ix.20.
- ^ Cicero. Epistulae ad Atticum. pp. ii.6.
- ^ Livy. "Periocha". Ab urbe condita. pp. lxxx.; Appian. De bellis civilibus. pp. i.69.; Valerius Maximus. Factorum et dictorum memorabilium libri. pp. i.vi.5.
- ^ a b c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Antium". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 147.
- ^ Tacitus. Annals. pp. xiv.27.; Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. pp. vi.9.
- ^ Annuario Pontificio 2013. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2013. p. 834. ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1.
- ^ Hondius, J. (1627). Nova et accurata Italiae hodiernae descriptio. Elsevir. pp. 164–165.
Further reading
[edit]- Nibby, Antonio. Dintorni di Roma. Vol. I. p. 181.
- Smith, William (1854). "Antium". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.
- Gell, Sir William (1846). The Topography of Rome and Its Vicinity.
- Murray, John (1843). Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy. p. 534.
- Lombardi, F. (1865). Anzio antico e moderno: opera postuma.
- Lugli, Giuseppe (1940). Saggio sulla topografia dell'antica Antium.
- Brandizzi Vittucci, Paola (2000). Antium: Anzio e Nettuno in epoca romana. Rome: Bardi Editore. ISBN 88-85699-83-9.
- Solin, Heikki (2002). Arctos: Acta Philologica Fennica. Vol. 36.
- Ceccarelli, Lucia (2003). Atlante storico ambientale Anzio e Nettuno. Rome: De Luca.
- Cacciotti, Beatrice (2008). Benetucci, B. P. (ed.). Testimonianze di culti orientali ad Antium. Rome: Artemide.
- De Haas, T. (2011). Daniele Malfitana; et al. (eds.). Investing in the colonia and ager of Antium. Pisa-Roma: Fabrizio Serra.
- Hondius, J. (1627). Nova et accurata Italiae hodiernae descriptio. Elsevir. pp. 164–165.
External links
[edit]
- Illustrated reconstruction of Nero's Villa (in Italian)
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