Falerone is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Fermo The province of Fermo ( it, provincia di Fermo) is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. It was established in 2004 and became operational in 2009. Its administrative centre and provincial capital is the city of Fermo (population of ...

, in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region of the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, southeast of

Urbisaglia Urbisaglia is a ''comune'' in the province of Macerata, Marche, Italy. Its name comes from the ancient Roman town Urbs Salvia. History Situated in the Regio V Picenum, along the via Salaria Gallica, the town was founded during the 2nd century ...

History

Almost nothing is known of the ancient town (called ''Falerio'') except from inscriptions. From the remains of its buildings, it appears to have been a centre of some importance in the

Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...

. It was probably founded as a colony by

Caesar Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

after his victory at

Actium Actium or Aktion ( grc, Ἄκτιον) was a town on a promontory in ancient Acarnania at the entrance of the Ambraciot Gulf, off which Octavian gained his celebrated victory, the Battle of Actium, over Antony and Cleopatra, on September 2, 31& ...

. A question arose in the time of

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

between the inhabitants of ''Falerio'' and '' Firmum'' as to land which had been taken out of the territory of the latter (which was recolonized by the

triumvir A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

s), and, though not distributed to the new settlers, had not been given back again to the people of Firmum. The emperor, by a

rescript In legal terminology, a rescript is a document that is issued not on the initiative of the author, but in response (it literally means 'written back') to a specific demand made by its addressee. It does not apply to more general legislation. Over ...

, a copy of which in bronze was found at Falerio, decided in favor of the people of Falerio, that the occupiers of this land should remain in possession of it. In the

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English h ...

the city decayed, and in the Middle Ages it followed the history of the local lordships.

Main sights

Considerable remains of a ''theatre ''in concrete faced with brickwork, erected, according to an inscription, in 43 BC, and in diameter, were excavated in 1838 and are still visible. An

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

, less well preserved, also exists. Between the two is a water reservoir (called ''Bagno della Regina'') connected with remains of baths.

History

Main sights

References

Further reading