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Picenum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the ancient region of Italy. For the modern province of Italy, seePiceno.
Ethnolinguistic map of Italy in theIron Age,before theRoman expansion and conquest of Italy
Augustus' Regio V – Picenum, from the 1911AtlasofWilliam R. Shepherd.

Picenumwas aregionof ancientItaly.The name was assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into theRoman Republic.Picenum becameRegio Vin theAugustanterritorial organisation ofRoman Italy.It is now inMarcheand the northern part ofAbruzzo.

ThePiceniorPicenteswere the native population of Picenum, but they were not of uniform ethnicity. They maintained a sanctuary to theSabinegoddessCuprainCupra Marittima.

Picenum was also the birthplace of such Roman notables asPompey the Greatand his father,Pompeius Strabo.

Historical geography[edit]

Picenum and the Picentes were described in some detail by the Roman geographers:[who?]

Strabo[edit]

Strabo places Picenum between theApenninesand theAdriatic Seafrom the mouth of theAesis Riversouthward to Castrum at the mouth of theTruentinus River,some 800stadia,which is 148 km (92 mi) using 185 m/stadion. For coastal cities he includes from north to southAncona,Auxumum,Septempeda(San Severino Marche), Pneuentia,Potentia,Firmum Picenumwith port at Castellum (Porto diFermo), Cupra Maritima (Cupra MarittimaandGrottammare), Truentum on the Truentinus (Tronto) and finally Castrum Novum and Matrinum on the Matrinus (Piomba), south ofSilviinAbruzzo.Strabo also mentions Adria (Atri, Italy) and Asculum Picenum (Ascoli Piceno) in the interior. The width of Picenum inland varies irregularly, he says.[1]

History[edit]

Picenum was first settled at the beginning of the Iron Age (1200BC).[2]

TheLiburnianshad colonies on the western Adriatic coast in Picenum from the beginning of the Iron Age and until the 6th century BC Liburninan naval supremacy meant both political and economical authority in the Adriatic.[citation needed]

In 390 BC theSenoni Gaulsinvaded Italy from the north and occupied Picenum north of the Esino river. The archaeological evidence shows groups of Senones settled much further south of this river, in the Macerata area and even in the Ascoli area, in sites such as Filottrano, San Genesio, Matelica, Offida. In 283 BC the Romans expelled the Senones and annexed Picenum down toAnconawhen it became theAger Gallicus,part of theAger publicus(Roman state land).

In 268 BC the Romans defeated the Picentes after they had rebelled.[3]Part of the population was deported and others were given Roman citizenship without the right to vote. Thus, Picenum was annexed, except for the city ofAsculum,which was considered an allied city. To keep it under control, the colony of Firmum was established nearby in 264 BC.

According toPolybius,[4]during the consulship ofMarcus Aemilius Lepidus(232BC), "the Romans divided among their citizens the territory in Gaul known as Picenum, from which they had ejected the Senones when they conquered them".

Picenum sided with Rome againstHannibalduring thePunic Wars.It also became a Roman base during theSocial War.Some Picentes remained loyal to Rome in the war, while others fought against them for the right of Roman citizenship.[5]All Picentes were granted full Roman citizenship after the war.

In theEdict of Diocletian,it was mentioned that the wine from Picenum was considered the most expensive wine, together with Falerno.[6]Vinum Hadrianumwas produced in Picenum,[7]in the city ofHatriaorHadria,the old name ofAtri.This is also the same wine thatPlinyconsidered one of the highly-rated wines, along with a few others.[8]

Culture[edit]

Excavations in Picenum have given much insight into the region during the Iron Age. Excavated tombs in Novilara of the Molaroni and Servici cemeteries show that the Piceni laid bodies in the ground wrapped in garments they had worn in life.[9]

Warriors were buried with a helmet, weapons and vessels for food and drinks. Buried beads, bone, fibulae and amber seem to demonstrate that there was an active trade in the ninth and perhaps tenth centuries on the Adriatic coast, especially in the fields of amber and beads of glass paste. In women’s graves there is a large abundance of ornaments made of bronze and iron.[10]

Origins of these items may also show that the Piceni may have looked to the south and east for development.[11]

The warrior tombs seem to show that the Piceni were a war-like people. Every man’s grave contained more or less a complete outfit of a warrior, with the most frequent weapon being a spear. Piceni swords appear to be imported from the Balkans.[12]

Languages[edit]

Main articles:South Picene languageandNorth Picene language

South Picene, written in an unusual version of theItalic alphabet,has been identified as aSabellic languagethat is neitherOscannorUmbrian.

The undeciphered North Picene, also written in a form of theOld Italic alphabet,is probably not closely unrelated to South Picene. At present, it is generally assumed not to be anItalic language(although it may have belonged to another branch of theIndo-European languages).

Cities of theRegio V[edit]

As reported byPliny the Elderin hisNaturalis Historia,24 cities were placed inRegio V:[13]

Cities ofRegio V
Latin Name Modern Name Modern Region Tribù
Ancona Ancona Marche Lemonia
Asculum Ascoli Piceno Marche Fabia
Auximum Osimo Marche Velina
Beregra nearCivitella del TrontoorMontorio al Vomano Abruzzo
Castrum Novum nearGiulianova Abruzzo Papiria
Castrum Truentinum Martinsicuro Abruzzo
Cingulum Cingoli Marche Velina
Cluana Civitanova Marche Marche
Cupra Maritima nearCupra Marittima(Grottammare) Marche Velina
Cupra Montana near Sant'Eleuterio ofCupramontana Marche Velina
Falerio nearFalerone Marche Velina
Firmum Picenum[14] Fermo Marche Velina
Hadria Atri Abruzzo Maecia
Interamnia Teramo Abruzzo Velina
Novana unknown, probably in theAso valley Marche
Numana Numana Marche
Pausulae near San Claudio al Chienti,Corridonia Marche Velina
Planina near San Vittore diCingoli Marche Velina
Potentia near Santa Maria a Potenza,Porto Recanati Marche Velina
Ricina Villa Potenza,Macerata Marche Velina
Septempeda San Severino Marche Marche Velina
Tolentinum Tolentino Marche Velina
Trea nearTreia Marche Velina
Urbs Salvia nearUrbisaglia Marche Velina

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Strabo,Book 5, Chapter 4, Sections 1–2.
  2. ^Vermeulen, F.: "The contribution of aerial photography and field survey to the study of urbanization in the Potenza valley.", pp. 57–82. L'Annee Philologique records.
  3. ^Florus, Epitome of Roman History, I.19
  4. ^Histories2:21
  5. ^Scullard, HH (1970),From the Gracchi to Nero,London: Methuen & Co. Ltd[page needed]
  6. ^Abbott, Frank Frost."The Common People of Ancient Rome".www.gutenberg.org.Retrieved2020-03-18.
  7. ^Dalby, Andrew (2013).Food in the Ancient World from A to Z.Routledge. p. 171.ISBN978-1-135-95422-2.
  8. ^Sandler, Merton; Pinder, Roger (2002).Wine: A Scientific Exploration.CRC Press. p. 66.ISBN978-0-203-36138-2.
  9. ^Randall-MacIver 1927,p. 105.
  10. ^Randall-MacIver 1927,p. 130.
  11. ^Randall-MacIver 1927,p. 120.
  12. ^Randall-MacIver 1927,p. 122.
  13. ^Archeologia nelle Marche, Mario Luni, 2003, p. 136,ISBN88-392-0744-9.
  14. ^Φίρμον Πικενόν, in STRABONE,Chr. estomathiae,241 (citato in ROCCI,Vocabolario Greco-Italiano,Città di Castello, 1974, pag. 1969)

Bibliography[edit]

  • Federica Boschi, Enrico Giorgi, Frank Vermeulen, Picenum and the Ager Gallicus at the Dawn of the Roman Conquest, Landscape Archaeology and Material Culture, Archaeopress 2020 ISBN 978-1-78969-699-8
  • Strabo.Geographica.
  • Randall-MacIver, David(1927).The Iron Age in Italy. A Study of Those Aspects of the Early Civilizations Which Are Neither Villanovan or Etruscan.Oxford: Clarendon Press.

External links[edit]

  • Pastore, Paolo."Piceni"(in Italian). Inwind.Retrieved28 August2010.
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