Gabii (Lazio)
Gabii was an ancient Italian city about 20 km east of Rome in the Lazio region near the volcanic crater lake Lago di Castiglione, which was drained in the 19th century .
history
It is certain that the Gabiis area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age . The city was founded either by Sicilians (Sicilians) or, according to legend, by settlers from the "predecessor city" of Rome, Alba Longa . It is also mythologically indicated that Romulus and Remus , the legendary founders of Rome, were brought up in Gabii in Greek .
During the rule of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus ( Latin superbus = "the haughty"), the Latin city was at war with the then local power, which it allegedly lost due to a trick of the king's son Sextus. From 493 BC It had the status of an ally, but also took part in the alliance war from 91 to 88 BC. In Roman times the Via Praenestina ran through Gabii. After the construction of the lapis Gabinus , a quarry, Gabii became increasingly depopulated and, according to Marcus Tullius Cicero, became a prime example of a once flourishing, but then decaying city. So it happened that Gabii from the 1st century BC. BC had almost no meaning.
During the reign of Emperor Hadrian the old importance of the city could be partially restored, among other things temples and an aqueduct were built again. After the 5th century AD, however, Gabii sank again into insignificance and was finally only mentioned in an episcopal manner - in the 9th century.
archeology
In and on Gabii's ruins a temple of the goddess Juno has already been discovered, which is decorated with Ionic , Doric and Corinthian columns. Gavin Hamilton made further excavations in 1792, he found the forum and other temples.
The archaeological park is located on Via Prenestina between the Roman districts of Castelverde and Corcolle in the Osa district (VIII. Municipio).
literature
- Lawrence Richardson Jr .: Gabii (Castiglione) Italy . In: Richard Stillwell et al. a. (Ed.): The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1976, ISBN 0-691-03542-3 .
Web links
- Parco Archeologico (Italian)
- Gabii on the side of Municipio VIII (Italian)
- Gabii Project (English)
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ' N , 12 ° 43' E