San Benedetto dei Marsi
Encyclopedia
San Benedetto dei Marsi (Latin
: Marruvium or Marrubium; Greek
: ) is a comune
and town
in the province of L'Aquila
in the Abruzzo
region of Italy
. It is situated on the eastern shore of the dried Lake Fucino, 20 km from the remains of another ancient site, Alba Fucens
.
Near the town is the stream Giovenco, identified as the ancient stream known as Pitonius.
; Marruvii or Marrubii is another form of the name of the Marsi, and was used by Virgil
as an ethnic appellation ("Marruvia de gente", Aen. vii. 750).
In accordance with this, Silius Italicus
also describes Marruvium as deriving its name from a certain Marrus, who is evidently only an eponymous hero of the Marsi. (Sil. Ital. viii. 505.) We have no account of Marruvium, however, previous to the Roman
conquest of the Marsic territory; but under the Roman Empire
it was a flourishing municipal town; it is noticed as such both by Strabo
and Pliny
, and in inscriptions we find it called "splendidissima civitas Marsorum Marruvium". (Strab. v. p. 241; Plin. iii. 12. s. 17; Mommsen
, Inscr. R. N. 5491, 5499; Orell. Inscr. 3149.)
It was also called Civitas Marsorum, and, in the Middle Ages, Civitas Marsicana. (Lib. Colon. pp. 229, 256.) It is noticed in the Tabula Peutingeriana
, which places it 13 M. P. from Alba; but it was not situated on the Via Valeria
, and must have communicated with that high-road by a branch from Cerfennia. (Tab. Peut.)
The town was an episcopal see in the Middle Ages, being destroyed in 1340 during the Angevine
wars for the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples
. In 1580 the see was moved to the neighboring town of Pescina
.
, and numerous inscriptions, as well as statues, have been discovered on the site. These ruins are situated close to the margin of the lake, about 3 km below Pescina. (Holsten. ad Cluver. p. 151; Romanelli, vol. iii. p. 180-186; Kramer, Fuciner See, p. 55; Hoare's Class. Tour, vol. i. pp. 357-361. The inscriptions are collected by Mommsen
, (I. R. N. pp. 290-294.)
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: Marruvium or Marrubium; Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: ) is a 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:...
and town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the province of L'Aquila
Province of L'Aquila
thumb|left|200px|Map of the province.The Province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region...
in the Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
region of 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...
. It is situated on the eastern shore of the dried Lake Fucino, 20 km from the remains of another ancient site, Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty situation at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the comune of Massa d'Albe....
.
Near the town is the stream Giovenco, identified as the ancient stream known as Pitonius.
History
The ancient Marruvium was the chief city of the Italic tribe of the MarsiMarsi
Marsi is the Latin exonym for a people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus, drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century. The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. During the Roman Republic the people of the region spoke a...
; Marruvii or Marrubii is another form of the name of the Marsi, and was used 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...
as an ethnic appellation ("Marruvia de gente", Aen. vii. 750).
In accordance with this, Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus, in full Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus , was a Roman consul, orator, and Latin epic poet of the 1st century CE,...
also describes Marruvium as deriving its name from a certain Marrus, who is evidently only an eponymous hero of the Marsi. (Sil. Ital. viii. 505.) We have no account of Marruvium, however, previous to the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
conquest of the Marsic territory; but under the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
it was a flourishing municipal town; it is noticed as such both by 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...
and 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...
, and in inscriptions we find it called "splendidissima civitas Marsorum Marruvium". (Strab. v. p. 241; Plin. iii. 12. s. 17; Mommsen
Mommsen
Mommsen is a surname, and may refer to one of a family of German historians, see Mommsen family:* Theodor Mommsen , great classical scholar, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature* Tycho Mommsen...
, Inscr. R. N. 5491, 5499; Orell. Inscr. 3149.)
It was also called Civitas Marsorum, and, in the Middle Ages, Civitas Marsicana. (Lib. Colon. pp. 229, 256.) It is noticed in the Tabula Peutingeriana
Tabula Peutingeriana
The Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa...
, which places it 13 M. P. from Alba; but it was not situated on the Via Valeria
Via Valeria
The Via Valeria was an ancient Roman road of Italy, the continuation north-eastwards of the Via Tiburtina. It probably owed its origin to Marcus Valerius Messalla, censor in 154 BC...
, and must have communicated with that high-road by a branch from Cerfennia. (Tab. Peut.)
The town was an episcopal see in the Middle Ages, being destroyed in 1340 during the Angevine
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
wars for the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. In 1580 the see was moved to the neighboring town of Pescina
Pescina
Pescina is a township and comune in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, centrl Italy. It is a part of the mountain community Valle del Giovenco.-Geography:...
.
Main sights
Considerable ruins of the ancient city still remain, including portions of its walls and the remains of an amphitheatreAmphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, and numerous inscriptions, as well as statues, have been discovered on the site. These ruins are situated close to the margin of the lake, about 3 km below Pescina. (Holsten. ad Cluver. p. 151; Romanelli, vol. iii. p. 180-186; Kramer, Fuciner See, p. 55; Hoare's Class. Tour, vol. i. pp. 357-361. The inscriptions are collected by Mommsen
Mommsen
Mommsen is a surname, and may refer to one of a family of German historians, see Mommsen family:* Theodor Mommsen , great classical scholar, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature* Tycho Mommsen...
, (I. R. N. pp. 290-294.)