Sentinum
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Sentinum was an ancient town located in 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 ...
region of
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 was situated at low elevation about a kilometre south of the present-day town of
Sassoferrato Sassoferrato is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in the Marche region of central-eastern Italy. History To the south of the town lie the ruins of the ancient Sentinum, on the Via Flaminia. The castle above the town is mentione ...
. The ruins of Sentinum were partially excavated in 1890 and the results of the archeological investigation were published by T. Buccolini.


History

The town is best known for the
Battle of Sentinum The Battle of Sentinum was the decisive battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 295 BC near Sentinum (next to the modern town of Sassoferrato, in the Marche region of Italy), in which the Romans overcame a formidable coalition of Samnite ...
which took place nearby in 295 BC: the Romans defeated a coalition of Samnites,
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...
s,
Umbri The Umbri were an Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were settled in the 9th-4th centuries BC on ...
ans and Senone Gauls. During the civil wars of the 40s BC, Sentinum sided with
Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...
, but in 41 BC was taken and destroyed by
Quintus Salvidienus Rufus Quintus Salvius Salvidienus Rufus (died 40 BC) was a Roman general and one of the principal generals and advisors of Caesar Octavian during the early years of his political activity. Despite his humble origin, he was one of Octavian's bes ...
who was leading troops of
Octavian 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 ...
. The town was planned and rebuilt, reurbanized, and continued to exist under the
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
, chartered as 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 ...
'' and (as is sometimes supposed) a '' colonia''. Civic life at Sentinum seems to have collapsed at the time of the invasion of
Alaric I Alaric I (; got, 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃, , "ruler of all"; c. 370 – 410 AD) was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades ...
and not to have resurged.


Archaeology

The site and its environs have been investigated by teams of the
University of Genoa The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
, led by Maura Medri, and the
University of Urbino The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" ( it, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", ''UniUrb'') is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The ...
led by Sergio Rinaldi Tufi. The site is protected as the Archaeological park of Sentinum. The foundations of the city walls are preserved. The archeological investigation unearthed city gates, a road, cisterns, and the remains of houses. Notable cultural finds include several mosaic pavements and inscriptions from the second half of the 3rd century AD, including three important ''tabulae patronatus:'' these are records of legal ratifications of the appointments of official
patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
. Baths ''(
thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
)'' dating from the early Empire show a large figured mosaic, presently kept at the Museo Nazionale delle Marche. A 2nd-century colored mosaic of
Mithra Mithra ( ae, ''Miθra'', peo, 𐎷𐎰𐎼 ''Miça'') commonly known as Mehr, is the Iranian deity of covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing ...
- Sol is conserved in the
Glyptothek The Glyptothek () is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig I to house his collection of Ancient Greek art, Greek and Roman art, Roman sculptures (hence γλυπτο- ''glypto-'' "sculp ...
, Munich; Mithraic
bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
of animals representing the stages of the initiate's progress were reused in the Church of Santa Croce, and Mithraic inscriptions are recorded.C. Ramelli, ''Monumenti mitriaci di Sentinum'' (1863); ''
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...
'' XI, 5736-37.


See also

*
Ancient Ostra Ancient Ostra is a Roman era town situated between the modern town of Ostra Vetere the Roman town was inhabited from the 3rd century BC until the 6th century AD. History Pliny the Elder mentions Ostra with another ancient town, Suasa, west.Pliny ...
*
Archaeological Park of Urbs Salvia The Archaeological Park of Urbs Salvia is situated in the ''comune'' of Urbisaglia (Province of Macerata), in the Marches, Italy. It is the largest archaeological park in the region. History The city, located in the V Regio Picenum, was fo ...
*
Potentia (ancient city) Potentia was a Roman town along the central Adriatic Italian coast, near the modern town of Porto Recanati, in the province of Macerata. Its original position was just north of the main Roman bed of the River Potenza (the ancient Flosis), which no ...
*
Ricina Ricina or Helvia Recina (present Villa Potenza) was a Roman town located in the lower Potenza valley, the contemporary Italian region Marche. Geography In the lower Potenza valley, on the left bank of the river Flosis (modern River Potenza), some ...
*
Septempeda Septempeda was a Roman town in Picenum, now in the Italian region Marche. It became today's San Severino Marche after the fall of the Roman Empire. Geography The original Roman town Septempeda is located in the province of Macerata. The town was ...
*
Suasa Suasa was an ancient Roman town in what is now the ''comune'' of Castelleone di Suasa, Marche, Italy. 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 cent ...


Notes


References

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External links


Sentinum - General Department for Archaeological Monuments in the Marches
{{in lang, it Roman towns and cities in Italy Archaeological sites in le Marche Roman sites of the Marche Tourist attractions in le Marche Populated places established in the 1st century BC Former populated places in Italy