Interamna Lirenas
Encyclopedia
Interamna Lirenas was an ancient Roman colony near the current Pignataro Interamna
, in the southern province of Frosinone
, central Italy
.
in an area perhaps already housing Volscan settlements, on the route of the Via Latina
. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, whence the name "Interamna" (meaning "between river").
It was a military base during the Samnite Wars
, who destroyed it in 294 BC. It was again ravaged by Hannibal in 212 BC; since it later sided for him, after the Carthaginian defeat it was forced by Rome to pay heavy tributes. It became a municipium
in 90 BC.
Archaeological remains include numerous inscriptions and few remains of buildings.
Pignataro Interamna
Pignataro Interamna is a town and comune in Lazio, Italy. It takes its name from the ancient Roman colony of Interamna Lirenas....
, in the southern province of Frosinone
Province of Frosinone
The Province of Frosinone is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 comuni . Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area of 3,244 km², and a total population of 489,042 .The Province was established by Royal Decree on 6 December 1926 with territories belonging to Lazio...
, 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...
.
History
It was founded in 312 BC as a colony of LatinsLatins (Italic tribe)
The Latins were a people of ancient Italy who included the inhabitants of the early City of Rome. From ca. 1000 BC, the Latins inhabited the small part of the peninsula known to the Romans as Old Latium , that is, the region between the river Tiber and the promontory of Monte Circeo The Latins (or...
in an area perhaps already housing Volscan settlements, on the route of the Via Latina
Via Latina
The Via Latina was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers.It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mons Algidus; it was important in the early military history of Rome...
. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, whence the name "Interamna" (meaning "between river").
It was a military base during the Samnite Wars
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
, who destroyed it in 294 BC. It was again ravaged by Hannibal in 212 BC; since it later sided for him, after the Carthaginian defeat it was forced by Rome to pay heavy tributes. It became a municipium
Municipium
Municipium , the prototype of English municipality, was the Latin term for a town or city. Etymologically the municipium was a social contract between municipes, the "duty holders," or citizens of the town. The duties, or munera, were a communal obligation assumed by the municipes in exchange for...
in 90 BC.
Archaeological remains include numerous inscriptions and few remains of buildings.