Falacrine ( la, Falacrīnum or ; it, Falacrine) was a village of Ancient Rome that was the birthplace of the emperor

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

(9–79 AD).

Location

The location of Falacrine has been the subject of debate. The village is described as lying just beyond Reate (modern

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

), in the

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...

hill country northeast of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. According to local tradition before the 16th century, it was on the site of the castle of

Alatri Alatri ( la, Aletrium) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio, with c. 30,000 inhabitants. An ancient city of the Hernici,Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hernici". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed. ...

, between Greccio and Contigliano. However, local historian Mariano Vittori believed that Falacrine lay near

Cittareale Cittareale is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium. It is located about northeast of Rome and northeast of Rieti. Cittareale borders the following municipalities: Accumoli, Amatrice, Borbona, Casci ...

, in the

province of Rieti The Province of Rieti ( it, Provincia di Rieti) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' ...

. Latini found ruins in Collicelle, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of Cittareale that he thought were Falacrine. However, in

Amatrice Amatrice (; Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Rieti, in northern Lazio (central Italy), and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a powerful earth ...

it's believed that Falacrine lies in the ''frazione'' of Torrita, above the valley of the same name. Others have suggested that it lies in

Antrodoco Antrodoco ( Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Rieti, in the Lazio region of central Italy. The name derives from the Latin Interocrea (between the mountains). Geography Antrodoco is located along the Velino river, in the ...

Paganico Sabino Paganico Sabino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about northeast of Rome and about southeast of Rieti. Paganico Sabino borders the following municipalities: Ascrea, Collegiove, Marcet ...

. In 2009, archaeologists unearthed a large first-century villa near Cittareale that they identified as Falacrine.

References

Atti Del Congresso Internazionale Di Studi Vespasianei
(Italian language article on the location of Falacrine) {{coord, 42, 35, 37, N, 13, 10, 14, E, region:IT-RI_type:city_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Roman towns and cities in Italy it:Falacrine