Carsoli
Encyclopedia
Carsoli is a town and comune
in the province of L'Aquila
, Abruzzo
(central Italy
). The ancient Roman city lies 4 km southwest of the modern town.
between 302 and 298 BC, just after the establishment of Alba Fucens
, no doubt as a stronghold to guard the road to the latter. It is mentioned in 211 BC as one of the twelve out of thirty Latin colonies which protested their inability to furnish more men or money for the war against Hannibal. It is known that, in 168 BC, it was used as a place of confinement for political prisoners. It was sacked in the Social War, but probably became a municipium after it. The 1st century agricultural writer Columella
possessed estates there.
The modern town of Carsoli first appears in a diploma of 866 AD, but the old site does not seem to have been abandoned until the 13th century.
, and reconstructed in limestone
), built of rectangular blocks, can still be seen. There are remains of several ancient buildings, including the podium or base, of a temple, and also the ancient branch road from the Via Valeria
. The forty-third milestone of the Via Valeria still lies at or near its original site; it was set up by Nerva
in 97 AD.
Some 2 kilometers to the northwest of Carsoli are the remains of an ancient aqueduct
consisting of a buttressed wall of concrete crossing a valley.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of L'Aquila
Province of L'Aquila
thumb|left|200px|Map of the province.The Province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region...
, Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
(central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). The ancient Roman city lies 4 km southwest of the modern town.
History
The ancient city, known as Carsioli (or Carseoli), was founded in the country of the AequiAequi
thumb|300px|Location of the Aequi in central Italy.The Aequi were an ancient people of northeast Latium and the central Appennines of Italy who appear in the early history of ancient Rome. After a long struggle for independence from Rome they were defeated and substantial Roman colonies were...
between 302 and 298 BC, just after the establishment of Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty situation at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the comune of Massa d'Albe....
, no doubt as a stronghold to guard the road to the latter. It is mentioned in 211 BC as one of the twelve out of thirty Latin colonies which protested their inability to furnish more men or money for the war against Hannibal. It is known that, in 168 BC, it was used as a place of confinement for political prisoners. It was sacked in the Social War, but probably became a municipium after it. The 1st century agricultural writer Columella
Columella
Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella is the most important writer on agriculture of the Roman empire. Little is known of his life. He was probably born in Gades , possibly of Roman parents. After a career in the army , he took up farming...
possessed estates there.
The modern town of Carsoli first appears in a diploma of 866 AD, but the old site does not seem to have been abandoned until the 13th century.
Main sights
The line of the city walls (originally in tuffTuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
, and reconstructed in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
), built of rectangular blocks, can still be seen. There are remains of several ancient buildings, including the podium or base, of a temple, and also the ancient branch road from the Via Valeria
Via Valeria
The Via Valeria was an ancient Roman road of Italy, the continuation north-eastwards of the Via Tiburtina. It probably owed its origin to Marcus Valerius Messalla, censor in 154 BC...
. The forty-third milestone of the Via Valeria still lies at or near its original site; it was set up by Nerva
Nerva
Nerva , was Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65...
in 97 AD.
Some 2 kilometers to the northwest of Carsoli are the remains of an ancient aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
consisting of a buttressed wall of concrete crossing a valley.
External links
- Official website
- Carsioli, A Description of the Site and the Roman Remains T. Ashby and G. J. Pfeiffer in Supplementary Papers of the American School in Rome, Vol. I, pp. 108‑40, transcribed at LacusCurtiusLacusCurtiusLacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in January 2008 it had "2786 pages, 690 photos, 675 drawings & engravings, 118 plans, 66 maps." The site is the...
.