Usellus ( sc, Usèddus;

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 ...

: ''Uselis'' or ''Usellis'') is a town,

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 ...

(municipality) and former

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in the

Province of Oristano The province of Oristano ( it, provincia di Oristano, sc, provìntzia de Aristanis) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia in Italy. Its capital is the city of Oristano. It has an area of , a total population of 160,746 (2016), ...

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

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. Usellus borders the following ''comuni'':

Albagiara Albagiara ( sc, Ollasta), is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about southeast of Oristano. Albagiara borders the following municipalities: Ales, Asso ...

, Ales,

Gonnosnò Gonnosnò is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about southeast of Oristano. Gonnosnò borders the following municipalities: Albagiara, Ales, Baradili, ...

Mogorella Mogorella, Mogoredda in sardinian language, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about east of Oristano. Mogorella borders the following municipalitie ...

Villa Verde Villa Verde, Bàini in sardinian language, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italy, Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about southeast of Oristano. Villa Verde borders the following ...

Villaurbana Villaurbana (Biddobrana in Sardinian language) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about east of Oristano. Villaurbana borders the following munici ...

History

Usellus is in the interior of Sardinia, about from the

Gulf of Oristano The Gulf of Oristano ( it, Golfo di Oristano, sc, Golfu de Aristanis) is a gulf in the Sardinian Sea, near Oristano, in the western Sardinian coast. It is limited from north by the Cape San Marco, in the Sinis peninsula, and from the south by ...

on the west coast, and the same distance south of Forum Trajani (modern

Fordongianus Fordongianus, ( sc, Fordongianis) (Ancient Greek: ''Hydata Hypsitana'', la, Aquae Hypsitanae or ''Forum Trajani'',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 ...

, and the only ancient author who mentions it is

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

, with the name , who erroneously places it on the west coast of the island: but the existing ruins, together with the continuity of the name, leave no doubt of its true situation. It is about northeast of the modern town of Ales. Ptolemy styles it a '' colonia'', and this is confirmed by an inscription on a bronze tablet of AD158 (a ''tabula patronatus'', setting forth that M. Aristius Balbinus had accepted the position of patron of the town for himself and his heirs) that speaks of the place as ''Colonia Julia Augusta Uselis''. It would hence appear probable that the colony must have been founded under

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 Pri ...

, though

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

asserts that Turris Libisonis (modern

Porto Torres Porto Torres ( sdc, Posthudorra, sc, Portu Turre) is a comune and a city of the Province of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as ''Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis'', it was the first Roman colony of the ...

) was the only colony in Sardinia at his time (79 CE, hence after Augustus' reign) It may be that civic rights were obtained from Augustus.

Main sights

* The ruins of the church of ''Santa Reparata'' have been conserved. It marks the site of the ancient town, and various antiquities have been found there.

References

External links

GCatholic - Diocese with incumbent bio links
Cities and towns in Sardinia {{Sardinia-geo-stub