Eretum
Encyclopedia
Eretum was an ancient town of the Sabine
s, situated on the Via Salaria
, at its junction with the Via Nomentana
, a short distance from the Tiber
, and about 30 km from Rome
.
From the mention of its name by Virgil
among the Sabine cities which joined in the war against Aeneas
, we may presume that it was considered as an ancient town, and one of some importance in early times; but it never bears any prominent part in history, though from its position near the frontiers of the Sabine and Roman territories, and on the line by which the former people must advance upon Rome, it was the scene of repeated conflicts between the two nations. The first of these occurred in the reign of Tullus Hostilius
, during the war of that monarch with the Sabines; his successor Tarquinius Priscus
also defeated the Etruscans, who had taken advantage of the friendly disposition of the Sabines to advance through their territory, at Eretum; and Tarquinius Superbus gained a decisive victory over the Sabines in the same neighbourhood. Under the Roman republic
also we find two victories recorded over the Sabines at the same place, the one by the consuls Postumius
and Menenius in 503 BCE, the other by Gaius Nautius Rutilus
in 458 BCE. During the decemvirate also the Sabines established their headquarters at Eretum, whence they ravaged the Roman territory. It is again mentioned in the Second Punic War
as the place whence Hannibal diverged to attack the shrine of Feronia
in Etruria
, during his advance on Rome (or, according to others, on his retreat) by the Salarian Way. But though its position thus brings it frequently into notice, it is clear that it was, under the Roman dominion at least, a very inconsiderable place. Strabo
says it was little more than a village, and Valerius Maximus
terms it vicus Sabinae regionis. Pliny
does not even mention it among the towns of the Sabines, nor is its name found in the Liber Coloniarum: hence it is almost certain that it did not enjoy municipal privileges, and was dependent on one of the neighbouring towns, probably Nomentum (modern Mentana
). But its name is still found in the Itineraries
as a station on the Salarian Way, and it must therefore have continued to exist as late as the fourth century. From this time all trace of it disappears.
The position of Eretum has been a subject of much dispute, though the data furnished by ancient authorities are sufficiently precise. The Itineraries place it 18 miles from Rome; and Dionysius in one passage calls it 140 stadia (17 miles) from the city, though in another place he gives the same distance at only 107 stadia. Strabo adds that it was situated at the point of junction of the Via Salaria and Via Nomentana; a circumstance which could leave no doubt as to its position, but that there is some difficulty in tracing the exact course of the Via Salaria, which appears to have undergone repeated changes in ancient times. Hence Abbé Capmartin De Chaupy was led to fix the site of Eretum at a place called Rimane, where there were some Roman ruins near a bridge called the Ponte di Casa Cotta, but this spot is not less than 21 miles from Rome; on the other hand, Monterotondo
, the site chosen by Cluverius, is little more than 15 miles from Rome, and could never by possibility have been on the Via Nomentana. Grotta Marozza (a località
of the comune
of Mentana), on the left hand of the Via Nomentana, rather more than 3 miles beyond Nomentum, has therefore decidedly the best claim: it is 17.5 miles from Rome, and it is probable that the ancient Via Salaria did not follow the same line with the modern road of that name, but left the valley of the Tiber near Monte Rotondo, and joined the Via Nomentana near the spot above indicated. There are no ruins at Grotta Marozza, but the site is described as well-adapted for that of a town of small extent.
At a short distance from Grotta Marozza are some sulphureous springs now known as the Bagni di Grotta Marozza, which are in all probability those anciently known as the Aquae Labanae (the of Strabo, who describes them as situated in the neighbourhood of Eretum.
Sabine
The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Appennines of ancient Italy, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome...
s, situated on the Via Salaria
Via Salaria
The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy.It eventually ran from Rome to Castrum Truentinum on the Adriatic coast - a distance of 242 km. The road also passed through Reate and Asculum...
, at its junction with the Via Nomentana
Via Nomentana
Via Nomentana is an ancient road of Italy, leading North-East from Rome to Nomentum , a distance of . It originally bore the name Via Ficulnensis, from the old Latin village of Ficulnea, about from Rome. It was subsequently prolonged to Nomentum, but never became an important high road, and merged...
, a short distance from the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
, and about 30 km from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
From the mention of its name by Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
among the Sabine cities which joined in the war against Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
, we may presume that it was considered as an ancient town, and one of some importance in early times; but it never bears any prominent part in history, though from its position near the frontiers of the Sabine and Roman territories, and on the line by which the former people must advance upon Rome, it was the scene of repeated conflicts between the two nations. The first of these occurred in the reign of Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius was the legendary third of the Kings of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius, and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius...
, during the war of that monarch with the Sabines; his successor Tarquinius Priscus
Tarquinius Priscus
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, also called Tarquin the Elder or Tarquin I, was the legendary fifth King of Rome from 616 BC to 579 BC. His wife was Tanaquil.-Early life:According to Livy, Tarquinius Priscus came from the Etruria...
also defeated the Etruscans, who had taken advantage of the friendly disposition of the Sabines to advance through their territory, at Eretum; and Tarquinius Superbus gained a decisive victory over the Sabines in the same neighbourhood. Under the Roman republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
also we find two victories recorded over the Sabines at the same place, the one by the consuls Postumius
Publius Postumius Tubertus
Publius Postumius Tubertus, the son of Quintus, was the first of the patrician gens Postumia to obtain the consulship, which he held in 505 BC, the fifth year of the Roman Republic. Together with his colleague, Marcus Valerius Volusus, he fought against the Sabines, whom they defeated decisively...
and Menenius in 503 BCE, the other by Gaius Nautius Rutilus
Gaius Nautius Rutilus
Gaius Nautius Rutilus, son of Spurius Nautius Rutilus of the Roman Republic.He was first consul in 475 BC with Publius Valerius Publicola....
in 458 BCE. During the decemvirate also the Sabines established their headquarters at Eretum, whence they ravaged the Roman territory. It is again mentioned in the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
as the place whence Hannibal diverged to attack the shrine of Feronia
Feronia (Etruria)
Feronia or Lucus Feroniae was an ancient town of southern Etruria, at the foot of Mount Soracte, within the territory of Capena, with a celebrated temple or shrine of the goddess from whom it derived its name, and a sacred grove, attached to it...
in Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
, during his advance on Rome (or, according to others, on his retreat) by the Salarian Way. But though its position thus brings it frequently into notice, it is clear that it was, under the Roman dominion at least, a very inconsiderable place. Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
says it was little more than a village, and Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He worked during the reign of Tiberius .-Biography:...
terms it vicus Sabinae regionis. Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
does not even mention it among the towns of the Sabines, nor is its name found in the Liber Coloniarum: hence it is almost certain that it did not enjoy municipal privileges, and was dependent on one of the neighbouring towns, probably Nomentum (modern Mentana
Mentana
Mentana is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy.-History:Mentana's name in ancient times was Nomentum, to which the Via Nomentana led from Rome. According to Livy, the town was part of the Latin League, which went to war with Rome during the reign of Rome's king Lucius...
). But its name is still found in the Itineraries
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
as a station on the Salarian Way, and it must therefore have continued to exist as late as the fourth century. From this time all trace of it disappears.
The position of Eretum has been a subject of much dispute, though the data furnished by ancient authorities are sufficiently precise. The Itineraries place it 18 miles from Rome; and Dionysius in one passage calls it 140 stadia (17 miles) from the city, though in another place he gives the same distance at only 107 stadia. Strabo adds that it was situated at the point of junction of the Via Salaria and Via Nomentana; a circumstance which could leave no doubt as to its position, but that there is some difficulty in tracing the exact course of the Via Salaria, which appears to have undergone repeated changes in ancient times. Hence Abbé Capmartin De Chaupy was led to fix the site of Eretum at a place called Rimane, where there were some Roman ruins near a bridge called the Ponte di Casa Cotta, but this spot is not less than 21 miles from Rome; on the other hand, Monterotondo
Monterotondo
-History:According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th centuries in a different location...
, the site chosen by Cluverius, is little more than 15 miles from Rome, and could never by possibility have been on the Via Nomentana. Grotta Marozza (a località
Località
A località, in Italy, is the name given to inhabited places that are not accorded a more significant distinction in administrative law such as a frazione, comune, municipio, circoscrizione, or quartiere. The word is cognate to English locality...
of the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Mentana), on the left hand of the Via Nomentana, rather more than 3 miles beyond Nomentum, has therefore decidedly the best claim: it is 17.5 miles from Rome, and it is probable that the ancient Via Salaria did not follow the same line with the modern road of that name, but left the valley of the Tiber near Monte Rotondo, and joined the Via Nomentana near the spot above indicated. There are no ruins at Grotta Marozza, but the site is described as well-adapted for that of a town of small extent.
At a short distance from Grotta Marozza are some sulphureous springs now known as the Bagni di Grotta Marozza, which are in all probability those anciently known as the Aquae Labanae (the of Strabo, who describes them as situated in the neighbourhood of Eretum.