Saepinum
Encyclopedia
Saepinum was a Samnite
town located c. 15 km south of the modern Campobasso
(in south central Italy
). Saepinum was on the ancient road from Beneventum to Corfinium
.
It was captured by the Romans
in 293 BC. The position of the original town is on the mountain far above the Roman town, and remains of its walls in Cyclopean masonry still exist. The city walls (in opus reticulatum) of the Roman town were erected by Tiberius
before he became emperor, the date (between 2 BC and AD 4) being given by an inscription. Within the city walls are remains of a theatre and other buildings, including temples of Jupiter
and Apollo
. There still exists, by the gate leading to Bovianum
, an important inscription of about AD 168
, relating to the tratture (see Apulia
) in Roman days, forbidding the natives to harm the shepherds who passed along them.
The presence of tombs from the 4th century, within the city walls, suggests that the city had been largely abandoned by that time. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
, Saepinum was taken in 882 by Saracens.
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
town located c. 15 km south of the modern Campobasso
Campobasso
-Main sights:The main attraction of Campobasso is the Castello Monforte, built in 1450 by the local ruler Nicola II Monforte, over Lombard or Norman ruins. The castle has Guelph merlons and stands on a commanding point, where traces of ancient settlements have been found...
(in south central 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...
). Saepinum was on the ancient road from Beneventum to Corfinium
Corfinium
Corfinium was a city in Ancient Italy, on the eastern side of the Apennines, due east of Rome. It is now near the modern Corfinio, in the province of L'Aquila .-History:...
.
It was captured by the Romans
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...
in 293 BC. The position of the original town is on the mountain far above the Roman town, and remains of its walls in Cyclopean masonry still exist. The city walls (in opus reticulatum) of the Roman town were erected by Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
before he became emperor, the date (between 2 BC and AD 4) being given by an inscription. Within the city walls are remains of a theatre and other buildings, including temples of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
and Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. There still exists, by the gate leading to Bovianum
Bovianum
Two cities of ancient Italy were named Bovianum, both in Samnium:* Bovianum Undecumanorum, now Boiano* Bovianum Vetus, a colonia of uncertain location, sometimes , identified with Pietrabbondante...
, an important inscription of about AD 168
168
Year 168 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Paullus...
, relating to the tratture (see Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
) in Roman days, forbidding the natives to harm the shepherds who passed along them.
The presence of tombs from the 4th century, within the city walls, suggests that the city had been largely abandoned by that time. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Saepinum was taken in 882 by Saracens.
External links
- Jeff Matthews, Saepinum
- Travel journal with images of Saepinum ruins
- Michael Frank, "A Rarity Among Roman Towns," New York Times, December 23, 1990, web: NYT-60