Interamna Lirenas: Larger Roman community than thought

[guy]

Interamna Lirenas today (image credit: G. Murro)

 

Here is an interesting article about the little-known Roman colony in central Italy known as Interamna Lirenas. Recent archaeological research has proven that it was more important and developed than previously thought. I had to look the city up in Wikipedia:

 

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Interamna Lirenas was an ancient Roman colony near the current Pignataro Interamna, in the southern province of Frosinone, central Italy. Modern archaeological excavations at the site commenced in 2010.

Interamna Lirenas served as a military base during the Samnite Wars, leading to its destruction by the Samnites in 294 BC. It was again ravaged by Hannibal in 212 BC; since it later sided with Carthage, after the Carthaginian defeat at Zama in 202 BC it was forced by Rome to pay heavy tribute.

It became a municipium in about 88 BC following the Social Wars when its population became Roman citizens.

In 46 BC Julius Caesar become patronus of the city and the site received further settled veterans ca. 40 BC.

The town was thought to have been a relative backwater but recent archaeology has raised its importance.

 

 

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Interamna Lirenas was founded in 312 BC as a colonia of Latins in the ager casinas, on the route of the Via Latina. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, whence the name "Interamna" (meaning "between the rivers").

 

 

The town even had a magnificent roofed theater: 

 

 

 

 

https://antigonejournal.com/2022/03/roman-town-interamna-lirenas/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interamna_Lirenas

Edited March 7, 2022 by guy

[caldrail]

I think its clear from recent satellite archeology that the ancient world was far more developed than we normally consider. Certainly the Roman Empire, but more impressively, Egypt was heavily urbanised along the Nile which bares little trace now. They had some very impressive castles too, something we don't normally associate with Egypt, and it shows Rome was not quite as unique as we tend to think.