Suasa was an

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

town in what is now the ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of Castelleone di Suasa,

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located in the Pian Volpello locality, in the valley of the Cesano River.

History

Suasa was founded by the Romans in the early 3rd century BC after the Battle of Sentinum (295 BC), in a territory inhabited by the

Senones The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where the ...

. The town was crossed by a secondary branch of the

Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia () was an ancient Roman roads, 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 f ...

and by the Via Salaria Gallica, which connected it to ''Forum Sempronii'' ( Fossombrone) and Ostra. In 232 BC, it became a prefecture and, in the 1st century BC, a ''

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

''. Suasa started to decline from the 3rd century; in 409, it was sacked by Alarich's

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

during his march against Rome (see Sack of Rome). It was abandoned in the 6th century after the Gothic War, the population moving to nearby settlements. The remains have been excavated by the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

since 1987. The edifices found include: *an amphitheater *a theater *the ''Coiedii

domus In ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (: ''domūs'', genitive: ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...

'' *a late-Republican era ''domus'' *the '' cardo maximus'' *a necropolis

The Archaeological Park

The Suasa archaeological park is an archaeological site in Castelleone di Suasa (province of Ancona, Marche, Italy). It includes the remains of the ancient town of Suasa, abandoned in the 6th century AD. The site comprises an open-air museum of a Roman house (the Coiedii domus), of great interest because of its size and architectonic complexity. The domus was inhabited over a long period of time. Its development peaked in the 2nd century AD. The mosaics discovered in the interior are splendid and are the most important unitary complex of the Marches. Mythological, floral, and geometric scenes can be admired, but above all, a magnificent marble floor created with over fifteen different kinds of stone. Part of the site is protected by a roof and a walkway allows visitors to explore it. The large amphitheatre lies at the foot of the hill. During summer it hosts theatre shows.

References

* *

External links

Official website: Consorzio Città Romana di Suasa - Progetto Suasa

Consorzio Città Romana di Suasa
{{authority control Roman towns and cities in Italy Roman sites of the Marche Ancient Roman theatres in Italy Roman amphitheatres in Italy Tourist attractions in le Marche Archaeological sites in le Marche Museums in Marche Archaeological museums in Italy Museums of ancient Rome in Italy Archaeological parks Populated places established in the 3rd century BC Former populated places in Italy Castelleone di Suasa

History

The Archaeological Park

See also

References

External links