Amiternum
A Sabine town near L'Aquila where, Livy says, figures in shining white were seen in the prodigy-filled winter of 218 BCE.
- Location
- San Vittorino, near L'Aquila, Abruzzo
- Modern country
- Italy
- Type
- Sabine, then Roman town; ruins
- Taken by Rome
- 293 BCE
- Remains
- Theatre, amphitheatre (imperial period)
- Famous native
- Historian Sallust (b. 86 BCE)
What is Amiternum known for?
Amiternum was a town of the Sabines in the mountains of central Italy, about 9 kilometres from modern L'Aquila. Rome defeated it in 293 BCE, and it became a Roman town with a forum, baths, sanctuaries, a theatre and an amphitheatre. The historian Sallust was born there in 86 BCE. In the Middle Ages its people moved to the new town of L'Aquila, and the ruins lie near the village of San Vittorino.
Amiternum appears in Livy's History of Rome, Book 21, among the prodigies reported in the winter of 218 BCE. Livy says that in the district of Amiternum, men in shining or white garments were seen at a distance in many places, though no one met them close up. The same list includes ships seen in the sky.
Livy is reporting what was told to the Senate, not what he saw. Historians treat such lists as a record of Roman fears during the war with Hannibal.
Livy's list of prodigies for 218 BCE places the figures in shining garments in the district of Amiternum.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeLivy's ships in the sky
- PassageShips gleaming in the sky (Livy, History of Rome 21.62)
- PlaceRome
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Amiternum'Reference
- Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book 21 (Latin text, The Latin Library), ch. 62Primary text
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