Aequum Tuticum was a Roman
vicus
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
in southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, about 35 km east-northeast of
Beneventum. The site lies beside Saint Eleuterio hamlet, overlooking at an elevation of 575 m, about 15 km north of the modern
Ariano Irpino, within
Irpinia
Irpinia (Modern Latin ''Hirpinia'') is a geographical and cultural region of Southern Italy. It was the inland territory of the ancient ''Hirpini'' tribe, and its extent matches approximately today's province of Avellino.
Geography
The territor ...
historical district. The ''vicus'' name is partly
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
(''Aequum'', meaning "plain", "flatland") and partly
Oscan
Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian.
Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including th ...
(''Tuticum'', "popular", "public").
Aequum Tuticum was founded near the intersection of two ancient Roman roads: (expressly cited by
Ovidius
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
) and , whose existence is attested by two 2nd century BC milestones (found in the nearby areas "Torre Amando" and "Camporeale Saint Lucia") showing the inscription ''"Marcus Aemilius Lepidus"''.
The vicus was first mentioned by
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
in a 50 b.C. letter addressed to his friend
Titus Pomponius Atticus
Titus Pomponius Atticus (November 110 BC – 31 March 32 BC; later named Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus) was a Roman editor, banker, and patron of letters, best known for his correspondence and close friendship with prominent Roman s ...
; he described the place (under the name of ''Equus Tuticus'') as a regular stopping point along the route to
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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.
![Aequum Tuticum cardo viarum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Aequum_Tuticum_cardo_viarum.jpg)
At the time of
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
, when the ''vicus'' was a possession of the
gens Seppia from
Beneventum,
it became a relevant road junction because the ''vicus'' lay at the crossroads between
Via Traiana
Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)''
The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusi ...
and .
Near Aequum Tuticum, just to the north, a stretch of Via Traiana has been discovered along torrent, whereas two sepulchral areas show up to the south and west; aerial photographs have also shown the route of Via Herculia.
Archaeological excavations, carried out between 1990 and 2000, found wall structures and evidence from the Roman era such as ceramics, inscriptions, funerary steles and coins. The oldest complex appears to be a thermal structure dating back to 1st century. The central compartment, named ''frigidarium'', shows up a
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
in black and white tiles. There are also a series of 2nd century rooms arranged in rows in (maybe rooms used as a warehouse or shop).
The settlement suffered the damage from an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
in the second half of 4th century, but shortly afterwards a
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
, showing a compartment decorated with a vast polychromatic
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
, was installed above the older buildings.
![Tabula Peutingeriana detail of Aequum Tuticum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Tabula_Peutingeriana_detail_of_Aequum_Tuticum.jpg)
Aequum Tuticum, mentioned in
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire.
The map is a 13th-ce ...
and
Itinerarium Antoninum, was then abandoned by 6th century, presumably due to
Barbarian invasions. The high-medieval sources mention the locality (probably already uninhabited) as ''Saint Eleuterio'', which is a name of Greek-Byzantine origin (at the end of 9th century
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
troops, coming from
Apulia
it, Pugliese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
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, had occupied
Benevento
Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...
, which they held for several years).
[
However, there are traces of a resettling in the Middle Ages (12th century), when the ancient Roman walls were incorporated into those of a building forming part of the new inhabited hamlet also called "Saint Eleuterio" (not to be confused with the nearby modern '']Contrada
A (plural: ) is a subdivision (of various types) of Italian city, now unofficial. Depending on the case, a will be a ''località'', a ''rione'', a ''quartiere'' (''terziere'', etc.), a '' borgo'', or even a suburb. The best-known are the 1 ...
Saint Eleuterio''), then in turn abandoned.
A collection of finds from Aequum Tuticum is kept in while several dozen inscriptions and architectural elements are collected in a lapidary inside the .
References
{{Archaeological sites in Campania
Roman sites of Campania
Former populated places in Italy
Province of Avellino
Archaeological sites in Campania
Roman towns and cities in Italy
Tourist attractions in Campania
Ruins in Italy
Destroyed cities
Ariano Irpino