Suasa was an

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 B ...

town in what is now the ''

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 ...

'' of Castelleone di Suasa, Marche,

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 ...

. 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 town was crossed by a secondary branch of the Via Flaminia and by the

Via Salaria Gallica Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...

, 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 (pl. ) 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 privi ...

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

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

during his march against Rome (see Sack of Rome). It was abandoned in the 6th century after the

Gothic War Gothic War may refer to: *Gothic War (248–253), battles and plundering carried out by the Goths and their allies in the Roman Empire. *Gothic War (367–369), a war of Thervingi against the Eastern Roman Empire in which the Goths retreated to Mont ...

, the population moving to nearby settlements. The remains have been excavated by the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...

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

domus In Ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (plural ''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 m ...

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

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

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