The ''Vicus Martis Tudertium'' is an archaeological site in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, central

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 ...

. It is located c. south of

Massa Martana Massa Martana (near the well attested ancient site of the '' Vicus Martis Tudertium'' on the Via Flaminia) is an ancient Italian town and ''comune'' in the Monti Martani mountain range in the province of Perugia (Umbria). It is 10 km N ...

, a small ''

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 Perugia The Province of Perugia ( it, Provincia di Perugia) is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The province covered al ...

Origins and history

Most historians associate the site's foundation with the building of the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

road, the

via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

, in 220-219 BC. When the Via Flaminia was built, its western branch proceeded north from

Narni Narni (in Latin, Narnia) is an ancient hilltown and ''comune'' of Umbria, in central Italy, with 19,252 inhabitants (2017). At an altitude of 240 m (787 ft), it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. ...

(ancient ''Narnia''), through the Vicus, to

Bevagna Bevagna is a town and ''comune'' in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria), in the flood plain of the Topino river. Bevagna is south-east of Perugia, west of Foligno, north-north-west of Montefalco, south of Assisi and ...

(ancient ''Mevania''). This branch of the road courses through a gently rolling upland plain at the foot of the Martani mountain range, an area that had been heavily populated since the middle of the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

. The eastern branch proceeded from Narni to

Terni Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...

, north to

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

, then past

Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) is a collection of justice as well as migration & home affairs policies designed to ensure security, rights and free movement within the European Union (EU). Fields covered include the harmonisati ...

and finally to

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located so ...

, where it merged with the western branch. The site is mentioned by name in several inscriptions, including three now found in the church of S. Maria in Pantano and its bell tower. A fourth was discovered during agricultural work in the fields by the church of S. Maria in Pantano and is now located in the small museum in the cloister of S. Maria della Pace in Massa Martana The site also appears in the ancient Roman

itineraries A travel itinerary is a schedule of events relating to planned travel, generally including destinations to be visited at specified times and means of transportation to move between those destinations. For example, both the plan of a business trip ...

found on the

Vicarello cups The Vicarello Cups are four silver cups discovered in 1852 near the baths of ''Aquae Apollinares'', at Vicarello, Italy, near Lake Bracciano. Their appearance recalls Roman milestones and they are engraved with the route from ancient Gades (mod ...

, and (possibly) in the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, 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 m ...

. Another ancient inscription, embedded in the gate of Massa Martana, but discovered nearby, mentions work done on a road by the Roman emperor

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 ...

. It is generally assumed that this refers to the Via Flaminia. Unlike other of the towns and cities on the two branches of the old Roman road, virtually nothing of the ''vicus'' lasted to the modern period. Apart from the already noted inscriptions, the only evidence of Roman presence on the site was the building of the church of S. Maria in Pantano, which appears to have been built into the ruins of a Roman-period structure. Other nearby ruins include the viaducts at S. Giovanni de Butris, Ponte Fonnaia and Bastardo, and significant substructures near the train station at Massa Martana Scalo. Excavation now suggests that the site was abandoned in antiquity and subsequently despoiled, with stone material being used at nearby sites, such as the medieval church of San Faustino, in the nearby Villa San Faustino

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 Massa Martana.

Excavation

Excavation at the site has been carried out since 2008 by Dr. John D. Muccigrosso of

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

. The work is currently being carried out as a field school.

References

External links

Bill Thayer's page on Massa Martana
{{coord, 42, 45, 5, N, 12, 31, 55, E, type:landmark_region:IT , display=title Roman sites of Umbria Former populated places in Italy Tourist attractions in Umbria Archaeological sites in Umbria