The Marsi were an
Italic people of
ancient Italy, whose chief centre was
Marruvium
San Benedetto dei Marsi (, ; ) is a ''comune ''and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is on the eastern shore of the dried Lake Fucino, from the remains of another ancient site, Alba Fucens.
Near the town ...
, on the eastern shore of
Lake Fucinus (which was drained in the time of
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...
). The area in which they lived is now called
Marsica. They originally spoke a language now termed
Marsian which is attested by several inscriptions.
History
The Marsi were first mentioned as members of a
confederacy with the
Vestini,
Paeligni and
Marrucini. They joined the
Samnites in 308 BC, and, on their submission, became allies of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in 304 BC. After a short-lived revolt two years later, for which they were punished by the loss of territory, they were readmitted to the Roman alliance and remained faithful down to the
Social War, their contingent being always regarded as the flower of the Italian forces.
The Latin colony of
Alba Fucens near the northwest corner of the lake was founded in the adjoining
Aequian territory in 303 BC so that, from the beginning of the 3rd century, the Marsians were in touch with a Latin-speaking community, to say nothing of the Latin colony of
Carsioli farther west. The earliest pure Latin inscriptions of the district seem to be
C.I.L. IX 3827 and 3848 from the neighbourhood of Supinum; its character generally is of the
Gracchan period, though it might be somewhat earlier.
In the
Social War (91–87 BC)
The Social War (from Latin , "war of the allies"), also called the Italian War or the Marsic War, was fought largely from 91 to 88 BC between the Roman Republic and several of its autonomous allies () in Roman Italy, Italy. Some of the ...
which, owing to the prominence of the Marsian rebels, is often known as the Marsic War, they fought bravely against odds under their leader
Q. Pompaedius Silo and, though they were frequently defeated, the result of the war was the enfranchisement of the allies. All the coins of Pompaedius Silo have the Latin legend "Italia", while the other leaders in all but one case used
Oscan.
Religion
The sanctuary of
Lucus Angitiae, the chief temple and grove of the goddess
Angitia stood at the southwest corner of Lake Fucinus, near the inlet to the tunnel of
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...
and the village of
Luco dei Marsi. Angitia was widely worshipped in the central highlands as a goddess of healing, especially skilled to cure serpent bites by charms and the herbs of the Marsian woods, which was carried out by local inhabitants until modern times. Their country was considered by Rome to be the home of witchcraft.
[see Hor. ''Sat.'' i, 9, 29, Epod. 17, 28, &c.]
See also
*
Marsus (disambiguation), Latinisation of the name ''Marsi''
*
Umbrian language
Umbrian is an language death, extinct Italic languages, Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italy, Italian region of Regio VI Umbria, Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan language, Oscan g ...
References
Bibliography
*
;Attribution
* Endnote:
** (from which some portions of this article are taken; on the Fucino-Bronze, ''ib.'' p. 294)
{{Authority control
Socii
Ancient Abruzzo
Marsica