Hispellum (modern

Spello Spello (in Antiquity: Hispellum) is an ancient town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia in eastern-central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Monte Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 k ...

) was an ancient town of

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

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 ...

, north of Fulginiae on the road to

Perusia The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. It is first mentioned in the account of the war of 310 or 309 BC between the Etruscans and the Romans. It took, however, an important pa ...

The Site

The site of Hispellum was significant as the valley had two major rivers, the Clitumnus and

Tinia Tinia (also Tin, Tinh, Tins or Tina) was the sky god and the highest deity in Etruscan religion, equivalent to the Roman Jupiter and the Greek Zeus. However, a primary source from the Roman Varro states that Veltha, not Tins, was the sup ...

mentioned by

Silius Italicus Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (, c. 26 – c. 101 AD) was a Roman senator, orator and epic poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His only surviving work is the 17-book '' Punica'', an epic poem about the Second Punic War and the ...

, giving fertility to the land. From 220 BC 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 ...

gave the city a direct link to Rome.

History

The area of Hispellum has been occupied from the Iron Age (7th c. BC), as shown by archaeology particularly in the necropolis at Portonaccio, although most of the tombs date to the 3rd or 2nd century BC. Traces of the early settlement from 7th - 4th centuries BC have been found near the church of Sant’ Andrea. Umbria had been conquered by the Romans by approximately 260 BC. Incorporation into the Roman state occurred soon afterwards; some

Umbri The Umbri were an Italic peoples, Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the Regio VI Umbria, ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were sett ...

were given full citizenship or citizenship without the right to vote and about 40,000 Romans settled in the region. Hispellum was one of the Umbrian towns that resisted Hannibal and possibly sent aid to Rome during the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

. It began to be urbanised from the late 3rd century when a long artificial terrace with a retaining wall of ''opera quadrata'' using local limestone laid without mortar was built near Sant’ Andrea in the area of the later forum. Hispellum is mentioned in Pliny,

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

and Ptolemy's ''Geography''. The ancient sanctuary to Venus (or her Umbrian equivalent) was an important sacred place for Umbrian tribes from the 3rd c. BC and the site was monumentalised, at least in the south-eastern part towards the city, in the Republican age (2nd-1st century BC). Some of the land of the Valle Umbra was brutally confiscated by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

to found colonies there as a reward for tens of thousands of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

's veterans who had fought for the

Triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

and additionally, tens of thousands of them who had fought for the Republican cause in the war at

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

. This led to the Umbrian revolt culminating in the

Perusine War The Perusine War (also Perusian or Perusinian War, or the War of Perusia) was a civil war of the Roman Republic, which lasted from 41 to 40 BC. It was fought by Lucius Antonius (the younger brother of Mark Antony) and the Umbrians of Perusia ...

(41-40 BC). Hispellum supported Augustus in the Perusine War and became Colonia Julia Hispellum in ca. 41-40 BC. Augustus also favoured Hispellum by extending its territory to the springs and sanctuary of the

Clitunno The Clitunno, in Antiquity the Clitumnus, is a river in Umbria, Italy. The name is of uncertain origin, but it was also borne by the river god. The Clitunno rises from a spring within a dozen metres of the ancient Via Flaminia near the town of ...

, 20 km distant, which had originally belonged to the territory of

Mevania 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 ...

, and the city provided a public bath and accommodation there. Under Augustus the town was also developed and monumentalisation of the hill slope was increased by the extension of the sanctuary with inclusion of the theatre etc. on a Hellenistic model, as at

Tibur Tivoli ( ; ; ) is a town and in Lazio, Central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine Hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinus cites Cato ...

, Praenesta and other sites in Lazio. It must have received more colonists under

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

as it is also referred to in inscriptions as "Colonia Urbana Flavia". It received another influx of veteran colonists under Hadrian. Hispellum received the name of ''Flavia Constans'' by a

rescript A rescript is a public government document. More formally, it is a document issued not on the initiative of the author, but in response to a question (usually legal) posed to the author. The word originates from replies issued by Roman emperors t ...

of the

emperor Constantine Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christ ...

recorded on a marble tablet found in 1733 at the centre of the sanctuary and now at the Communal Palace of Spello. It showed that the city was important, as it was thereby appointed the seat of the annual meetings of the Umbrian peoples, which had previously taken place only in the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

city of

Volsinii Volsinii or Vulsinii (Etruscan language, Etruscan: Velzna or Velusna; Ancient Greek, Greek: Ouolsinioi, ; ), is the name of two ancient cities of Etruria, one situated on the shore of Lacus Volsiniensis (modern Lago di Bolsena), and the other on ...

Sights

A survey of the upper town in the late 20th century showed that about 80% of the buildings lie on Roman foundations, making Spello the most Roman town in modern Umbria. Roman remains also include: * The rich and elaborate Villa of the Mosaics has been excavated in recent years and is open to the public. * The 1.8 km-long walls are among the finest specimens of Roman wall in central Italy, formed by a very thick and compact concrete structure, covered on both sides by a very regular face of rectangular blocks of local pink limestone * The gate by which the town is entered (''Porta Consolare'') is ancient and has three portrait statues above it, although they are not original to the gate, having been found in the area of the amphitheatre * Five other gates may still be seen as part of the city wall, built of rectangular blocks of Subasio

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. They include the Porta Venere, Porta dell'Arce, Porta Urbica * The upper town also has vestiges of what is possibly a triumphal arch: the inscription is dedicated to Augustus. * In the interior of the city are sections of large block walls, substructures for terracing the hill. * The Umbrian sanctuary of Venus includes the grounds of the Villa Fidelia as well as remains of the amphitheatre (the entrance and some stone curtain, which stood in the plain alongside the road to Assisi, can be seen to the northwest of the town), a temple of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, baths beneath the church of San Claudio near the amphitheatre with geometric mosaic floors and heated rooms. * The forum: the whole area between the Palazzo Comunale and the Convent of S. Andrea was terraced on the eastern and south-eastern sides by a supporting wall in local limestone preserved for about 130 m. * a ''villa rustica'' in via Baldini from the 1st/2nd centuries AD with thermal baths in 3 rooms. It was sited on a necropolis of the Republican age. The walls are preserved to their full height in the SE corner where part of a basin with stone slabs covered in '' cocciopesto'' has been brought to light: In the southwest corner are remains of the lower part of a square basin and tiled flooring in tiles (perhaps a settling tank), as in the immediate vicinity are traces of a furnace. * A large collection of local Roman inscriptions is housed in the Palazzo Comunale. * Roman remains under the present Piazza della Repubblica.

Villa of the Mosaics

The villa is one of the most important Roman sites in Umbria, even in Italy, with its spectacular mosaic floors of extraordinary technical quality in terms of design and colour rendering. Of a total area of 500m², there are 20 rooms remaining, 10 of which contain magnificent mosaic floors with geometric motifs and figures in various colours: white, red, black. green and yellow. A large peristyle, a porticoed courtyard that surrounded the garden complete with statues and fountains, was surrounded by a series of elaborate rooms with mosaics. The most important room was the

triclinium A ''triclinium'' (: ''triclinia'') is a formal dining room in a Ancient Rome, Roman building. The word is adopted from the Greek language, Greek ()—from (), "three", and (), a sort of couch, or rather chaise longue. Each couch was sized to ...

with the Seasons mosaic. It was first built in the Augustan age and modified at the end of the 2nd century. The villa was located along a secondary branch of the ancient

road, which came from Rome and extended through Umbria and continued to Rimini. It was a ''

villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

'', a farming estate with an agricultural part including several service rooms. It was discovered in 2005, while building a carpark in a sports field just outside Spello's walls.

The sanctuary complex

A sanctuary of the Augustan period which included a grandiose theatre-temple-amphitheatre complex is located partially in the grounds of the Renaissance-style villa Fidelia to the northwest of the city.Roman Sanctuary (late 1st century BC) http://www.keytoumbria.com/Spello/Roman_Sanctuary.html Geophysical surveys have allowed reconstruction of the sanctuary and its relationship to the theatre. The sanctuary occupied the area near the bottom of the Spello hill facing west as part of a scenographic layout. Three terraces were created to support the villa, two of which with mighty walls in Roman concrete (''

opus caementicium Roman concrete, also called , was used in construction in ancient Rome. Like its modern equivalent, Roman concrete was based on a hydraulic-setting cement added to an aggregate. Many buildings and structures still standing today, such as br ...

'') covered with '' opus vittatum'' which supported the lower terraces are still visible. The second terrace contains the present "Italian" garden and Villa Fidelia itself which overlaps the lower terrace. The lower wall has remains of a large central

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

and a quadrangular niche. Of the upper wall only the internal part in ''

'' remains. On the other side of the road are the scanty remains of the theatre, as well as the amphitheatre. During construction of the villa Fidelia, around 1600, an inscription was found on a mosaic floor (CIL, XΙ, 5264), with a dedication of a statue and a base to Venus by the

quinquennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...

duumvirs M. Granius and S. Lollius. The Church of S. Fedele in

opus mixtum Example of ''opus mixtum'' in the substruction of Brest Castle, France ''Opus mixtum'' (Latin: "mixed work"), or ''opus vagecum'' and ''opus compositum'', was an ancient Roman construction technique. It can consist in a mix of ''opus reticulatu ...

is probably to be connected with the late phase of the sanctuary mentioned by a Constantinian

(CIL, XI, 5265) of 333-337 AD, in which the emperor at the request of the inhabitants of the city allows the Umbrian population to be able to meet, no longer in Volsinii, and celebrate the theatrical and gladiatorial games with the Etruscan population. The precious epigraphic text, found downstream from the sanctuary, testifies that the sacred theatre-temple structure existed prior to the rescript and must have already served for the annual meetings of the league of the Umbrians. The special geographical position of the sanctuary appears particularly strategic within the Umbrian valley, at the branch of the Via Flaminia towards

and in visual and ideological connection with the sanctuaries at Mevania, Vettona, Urvinum Hortense and Trebiae.

The aqueduct

The Roman Aqueduct from Collepino to Spello is almost 5 km long. It was used until the 19th century and has been recently restored. It was mainly underground but has been exposed in several places where it runs to the side of the Chiona river, its specus forming an artificial terrace. On the lower wall of the aqueduct are many rectangular openings for inspection and maintenance.

Porta Urbica

Also known as the Porta San Ventura from the nearby church of the same name, this gate has a monumental character with a sober façade, and is a decorative arch inserted in the western walls. Built in the Augustan age, the gate has a single round arch and is built of ashlars of local limestone, is supported by smooth Tuscan pillars with no base, and has an architrave above crowned by a pediment. The gate was reopened in 1960 after being walled up for many years.

References

External links

Hispellum
(at LacusCurtius) * Ancient History of Spello http://www.keytoumbria.com/Spello/Ancient_History.html {{coord, 42, 59, 30, N, 12, 40, 12, E, type:landmark_region:IT_dim:700, display=title Roman towns and cities in Italy Hispellum, Villa of the Mosaics Roman sites of Umbria