Feronia (Etruria)
Encyclopedia
Feronia or Lucus Feroniae
' onMouseout='HidePop("34817")' href="/topics/Strabo">Strabo
; , Ptolemy
) 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. Strabo, indeed, is the only author who mentions a town of the name, which he calls Feronia; other writers speak of Lucus Feroniae and Feroniae fanum, but it is natural that in process of time a town should have grown up around a site of so much sanctity, and which was annually visited by a great concourse of persons. Feronia
appears to have been a Sabine
goddess, and hence the festivals at her shrine seem to have been attended especially by the Sabines, though the sanctuary itself was in the Etruscan
territory, and dependent upon the neighbouring city of Capena The first mention of these annual festivals occurs as early as the reign of Tullus Hostilius
, when we find them already frequented by great numbers of people, not only for religious objects, but as a kind of fair for the purposes of trade, a custom which seems to have prevailed at all similar meetings. Great wealth had, in the course of ages, been accumulated at the shrine of Feronia, and this tempted Hannibal to make a digression from his march during his retreat from Rome
, in 211 BCE, for the purpose of plundering the temple. On this occasion he despoiled it of all its gold and silver, amounting to a large sum, besides which there was a large quantity of rude or uncoined brass, a sufficient proof of the antiquity of the sanctuary. The only other notices of the spot which occur in history are some casual mentions of prodigies that occurred there; but Strabo tells that it was still much frequented in his time, and that many persons came thither to see the miracle of the priests and votaries of the goddess passing unharmed through a fire and over burning cinders. This superstition is ascribed by other writers to the temple of Apollo
, on the summit of Mount Soracte. It was probably transferred from thence to the more celebrated sanctuary at its foot.
The general position of the Lucus Feroniae is sufficiently fixed by the statements that it was in agro Capenate, and at the foot of Mount Soracte. A fountain at the foot of the hill of San Oreste, near the southeast extremity of the mountain, is still called Felonica
; and as such fountains were generally connected with sacred groves, there is every probability that this was the site of the grove and sanctuary of the goddess. The village of San Oreste, which stands on the hill above (a shoulder or off-shoot of Soracte), and bears some traces of having been an ancient site, is thought by Antonio Nibby
and George Dennis
to occupy the position of the ancient town of Feronia.
Pliny mentions a Lucus Feroniae among the colonies of the interior of Etruria and from the order in which he describes the towns of that province, there can be little doubt that he means the celebrated locality of the name in southern Etruria. But it is singular that Ptolemy, who also notices a Lucus Feroniae, to which he gives the title of a colonia, places it in the northwest extremity of Etruria, between the Arnus (modern Arno
) and the Macra
. No other notice occurs of any such place in this part of Etruria; and the Liber Coloniarum, though unusually copious in its description of the province of Tuscia
, mentions no such colony at all. An inscription, on the other hand, in which we find the name of Colonia Julia Felix Lucoferonensis refers probably to the southern Etruscan town, and on the whole it is more probable that the name should have been altogether misplaced by Ptolemy, than that there should have existed a second colony of the name, of which we know nothing.
Lucus Feroniae
Lucus Feroniae was an ancient sacred grove dedicated to the Sabine goddess Feronia. It was located in Etruria, across the ancient Via Tiberina, in what is now the territory of the modern commune of Capena, Lazio, next to the border with the neighbouring commune of Fiano Romano.It was visited both...
' onMouseout='HidePop("34817")' href="/topics/Strabo">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...
; , Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
) was an ancient town of southern 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...
, at the foot of Mount Soracte, within the territory of Capena
Capena
Capena is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio region . The town has borrowed its modern name from a pre-Roman and Roman settlement that was located three kilometres to its north....
, with a celebrated temple or shrine of the goddess from whom it derived its name, and a sacred grove
Sacred grove
A sacred grove is a grove of trees of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves were most prominent in the Ancient Near East and prehistoric Europe, but feature in various cultures throughout the world...
, attached to it. Strabo, indeed, is the only author who mentions a town of the name, which he calls Feronia; other writers speak of Lucus Feroniae and Feroniae fanum, but it is natural that in process of time a town should have grown up around a site of so much sanctity, and which was annually visited by a great concourse of persons. Feronia
Feronia (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Feronia was a goddess broadly associated with fertility and abundance. She was especially honored among plebeians and freedmen...
appears to have been a Sabine
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...
goddess, and hence the festivals at her shrine seem to have been attended especially by the Sabines, though the sanctuary itself was in the Etruscan
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
territory, and dependent upon the neighbouring city of Capena The first mention of these annual festivals occurs as early as 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...
, when we find them already frequented by great numbers of people, not only for religious objects, but as a kind of fair for the purposes of trade, a custom which seems to have prevailed at all similar meetings. Great wealth had, in the course of ages, been accumulated at the shrine of Feronia, and this tempted Hannibal to make a digression from his march during his retreat 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...
, in 211 BCE, for the purpose of plundering the temple. On this occasion he despoiled it of all its gold and silver, amounting to a large sum, besides which there was a large quantity of rude or uncoined brass, a sufficient proof of the antiquity of the sanctuary. The only other notices of the spot which occur in history are some casual mentions of prodigies that occurred there; but Strabo tells that it was still much frequented in his time, and that many persons came thither to see the miracle of the priests and votaries of the goddess passing unharmed through a fire and over burning cinders. This superstition is ascribed by other writers to the temple of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, on the summit of Mount Soracte. It was probably transferred from thence to the more celebrated sanctuary at its foot.
The general position of the Lucus Feroniae is sufficiently fixed by the statements that it was in agro Capenate, and at the foot of Mount Soracte. A fountain at the foot of the hill of San Oreste, near the southeast extremity of the mountain, is still called Felonica
Felonica
Felonica is a comune in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 180 km southeast of Milan and about 50 km southeast of Mantua. , it had a population of 1,586 and an area of 22.5 km².Global data: Province: Mantova. Distance from the chief town : 60...
; and as such fountains were generally connected with sacred groves, there is every probability that this was the site of the grove and sanctuary of the goddess. The village of San Oreste, which stands on the hill above (a shoulder or off-shoot of Soracte), and bears some traces of having been an ancient site, is thought by Antonio Nibby
Antonio Nibby
Antonio Nibby was an Italian archaeologist.Nibby was a critic of the history of ancient art and from 1812 in service to the Vatican worked to excavate the monuments of Rome. He also served as a secretary to Louis Napoleon, Comte de Saint-Leu.He was a professor of archaeology in the University of...
and George Dennis
George Dennis (explorer)
George Dennis was a British explorer of Etruria; his written account and drawings of the ancient places and monuments of the Etruscan civilization combined with his summary of the ancient sources is among the first of the modern era and remains an indispensable reference in Etruscan studies.-...
to occupy the position of the ancient town of Feronia.
Pliny mentions a Lucus Feroniae among the colonies of the interior of Etruria and from the order in which he describes the towns of that province, there can be little doubt that he means the celebrated locality of the name in southern Etruria. But it is singular that Ptolemy, who also notices a Lucus Feroniae, to which he gives the title of a colonia, places it in the northwest extremity of Etruria, between the Arnus (modern Arno
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...
) and the Macra
Macra
Macra is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km southwest of Turin and about 35 km northwest of Cuneo....
. No other notice occurs of any such place in this part of Etruria; and the Liber Coloniarum, though unusually copious in its description of the province of Tuscia
Tuscia
Tuscia is a historical region of Italy that comprised the southern territories under Etruscan influence. While it later came to coincide with today’s province of Viterbo, it was originally much larger, including the whole Region of Tuscany, a great part of Umbria and the northern parts of...
, mentions no such colony at all. An inscription, on the other hand, in which we find the name of Colonia Julia Felix Lucoferonensis refers probably to the southern Etruscan town, and on the whole it is more probable that the name should have been altogether misplaced by Ptolemy, than that there should have existed a second colony of the name, of which we know nothing.