Pollentia
Encyclopedia
Pollentia was an ancient city the left bank of the Tanaro
, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione
of Bra in the Province of Cuneo
, Piedmont
, northern Italy
.
In antiquity Pollentia was in the territory of the Ligurian
Statielli
, Augusta Bagiennorum
(modern Roncaglia in the Commune of Bene Vagienna
) being 16 km to the south. Its position on the road from Augusta Taurinorum (modern Turin) to the coast at Vada Sabatia (modern Vado Ligure
, near Savona
), at the point of divergence of a road to Hasta
(modern Asti) gave it military importance. Decimus Brutus managed to occupy it an hour before Mark Antony
in 43 BC. Here Stilicho
on April 6, 402 fought the Battle of Pollentia
with Alaric I
which though undecided led the Goths
to evacuate Italy.
The place was famous for its brown wool, and for its pottery. Today it is home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences which offers undergraduate, graduate and masters programs focused on gastronomy and food tourism. website
According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica considerable remains of ancient buildings, including an amphitheater, a theater and a temple
were still in existence, although the so-called temple of Diana was more probably a tomb
.
A work of 18 scholars, specialist in different disciplines, has been made, after a large archaeologichal inspection and many works of rastauration, in the book edited by Giuseppe Carità, Pollenzo - una città romana per una "real villeggiatura" romantica, Savigliano 2004. The book is also edited on http://www.comune.bra.cn.it/citta/pollenzo/index.htm , with an introduction in Italian, English, French and German.
Tanaro River
The Tanaro , known as Tanarus in ancient times, is a 276 km-long river in northwestern Italy. It rises in the Ligurian Alps, close to the border with France and is the most significant right-side tributary to the Po in terms of length, size of drainage basin and discharge.-Source:The Tanaro proper...
, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Bra in the Province of Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In antiquity Pollentia was in the territory of the Ligurian
Ligures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
Statielli
Statielli
The Statielli, Statiellātes, or Statiellenses were a small Ligurian tribe which inhabited an area south of the river Padus . Their chief town was Aquae Statiellae , on the road from Vada Sabatia, near Savona to Dertona and Placentia....
, Augusta Bagiennorum
Augusta Bagiennorum
Augusta Bagiennorum was the chief town of the Ligurian tribe of the Bagienni. It was located in what is now the commune of Bene Vagienna, in the province of Cuneo , on the upper course of the Tanaro, about due south of Turin...
(modern Roncaglia in the Commune of Bene Vagienna
Bene Vagienna
Bene Vagienna is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km south of Turin and about 30 km northeast of Cuneo....
) being 16 km to the south. Its position on the road from Augusta Taurinorum (modern Turin) to the coast at Vada Sabatia (modern Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure, in antiquity Vado Sabatia, is a town and comune in the province of Savona, Liguria, in northern Italy.- Economy :Vado has a large industrial and commercial port....
, near Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
), at the point of divergence of a road to Hasta
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
(modern Asti) gave it military importance. Decimus Brutus managed to occupy it an hour before Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
in 43 BC. Here Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
on April 6, 402 fought the Battle of Pollentia
Battle of Pollentia
The Battle of Pollentia was fought on 6 April 402 between the Romans and the Visigoths.-Background:Theodosius I, the last emperor of both eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire, died in 395, leaving his sons Arcadius and Honorius emperors of the East and West, respectively...
with Alaric I
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
which though undecided led the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
to evacuate Italy.
The place was famous for its brown wool, and for its pottery. Today it is home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences which offers undergraduate, graduate and masters programs focused on gastronomy and food tourism. website
According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica considerable remains of ancient buildings, including an amphitheater, a theater and a temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
were still in existence, although the so-called temple of Diana was more probably a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
.
A work of 18 scholars, specialist in different disciplines, has been made, after a large archaeologichal inspection and many works of rastauration, in the book edited by Giuseppe Carità, Pollenzo - una città romana per una "real villeggiatura" romantica, Savigliano 2004. The book is also edited on http://www.comune.bra.cn.it/citta/pollenzo/index.htm , with an introduction in Italian, English, French and German.
Further reading
- Pollentia: la Pollenzo romana , from the website of the Commune of Bra, gives a short history of Pollentia, covering both the Roman town and its subsequent history.