Picenum was aregion of ancient Italy. The name was assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into theRoman Republic. Picenum becameRegio V in theAugustan territorial organisation ofRoman Italy. It is now inMarche and the northern part ofAbruzzo.
ThePiceni orPicentes were the native population of Picenum, but they were not of uniform ethnicity. They maintained a sanctuary to theSabine goddessCupra inCupra Marittima.
Picenum was also the birthplace of such Roman notables asPompey the Great and his father,Pompeius Strabo.
Picenum and the Picentes were described in some detail by the Roman geographers:[who?]
Strabo places Picenum between theApennines and theAdriatic Sea from the mouth of theAesis River southward to Castrum at the mouth of theTruentinus River, some 800stadia, which is 148 km (92 mi) using 185 m/stadion. For coastal cities he includes from north to southAncona, Auxumum,Septempeda (San Severino Marche), Pneuentia,Potentia,Firmum Picenum with port at Castellum (Porto diFermo), Cupra Maritima (Cupra Marittima andGrottammare), Truentum on the Truentinus (Tronto) and finally Castrum Novum and Matrinum on the Matrinus (Piomba), south ofSilvi inAbruzzo. Strabo also mentions Adria (Atri, Italy) and Asculum Picenum (Ascoli Piceno) in the interior. The width of Picenum inland varies irregularly, he says.[1]
Picenum was first settled at the beginning of the Iron Age (1200 BC).[2]
TheLiburnians had colonies on the western Adriatic coast in Picenum from the beginning of the Iron Age and until the 6th century BC Liburninan naval supremacy meant both political and economical authority in the Adriatic.[citation needed]
In 390 BC theSenoni Gauls invaded Italy from the north and occupied Picenum north of the Esino river. The archaeological evidence shows groups of Senones settled much further south of this river, in the Macerata area and even in the Ascoli area, in sites such as Filottrano, San Genesio, Matelica, Offida. In 283 BC the Romans expelled the Senones and annexed Picenum down toAncona when it became theAger Gallicus, part of theAger publicus (Roman state land).
In 268 BC the Romans defeated the Picentes after they had rebelled.[3] Part of the population was deported and others were given Roman citizenship without the right to vote. Thus, Picenum was annexed, except for the city ofAsculum, which was considered an allied city. To keep it under control, the colony of Firmum was established nearby in 264 BC.
According toPolybius,[4] during the consulship ofMarcus Aemilius Lepidus (232 BC), "the Romans divided among their citizens the territory in Gaul known as Picenum, from which they had ejected the Senones when they conquered them".
Picenum sided with Rome againstHannibal during thePunic Wars. It also became a Roman base during theSocial War. Some Picentes remained loyal to Rome in the war, while others fought against them for the right of Roman citizenship.[5] All Picentes were granted full Roman citizenship after the war.
In theEdict of Diocletian, it was mentioned that the wine from Picenum was considered the most expensive wine, together with Falerno.[6]Vinum Hadrianum was produced in Picenum,[7] in the city ofHatria orHadria, the old name ofAtri. This is also the same wine thatPliny considered one of the highly-rated wines, along with a few others.[8]
Excavations in Picenum have given much insight into the region during the Iron Age. Excavated tombs in Novilara of the Molaroni and Servici cemeteries show that the Piceni laid bodies in the ground wrapped in garments they had worn in life.[9]
Warriors were buried with a helmet, weapons and vessels for food and drinks. Buried beads, bone, fibulae and amber seem to demonstrate that there was an active trade in the ninth and perhaps tenth centuries on the Adriatic coast, especially in the fields of amber and beads of glass paste. In women’s graves there is a large abundance of ornaments made of bronze and iron.[10]
Origins of these items may also show that the Piceni may have looked to the south and east for development.[11]
The warrior tombs seem to show that the Piceni were a war-like people. Every man’s grave contained more or less a complete outfit of a warrior, with the most frequent weapon being a spear. Piceni swords appear to be imported from the Balkans.[12]
South Picene, written in an unusual version of theItalic alphabet, has been identified as aSabellic language that is neitherOscan norUmbrian.
The undeciphered North Picene, also written in a form of theOld Italic alphabet, is probably not closely unrelated to South Picene. At present, it is generally assumed not to be anItalic language (although it may have belonged to another branch of theIndo-European languages).
As reported byPliny the Elder in hisNaturalis Historia, 24 cities were placed inRegio V:[13]
| Latin Name | Modern Name | Modern Region | Tribù |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancona | Ancona | Marche | Lemonia |
| Asculum | Ascoli Piceno | Marche | Fabia |
| Auximum | Osimo | Marche | Velina |
| Beregra | nearCivitella del Tronto orMontorio al Vomano | Abruzzo | |
| Castrum Novum | nearGiulianova | Abruzzo | Papiria |
| Castrum Truentinum | Martinsicuro | Abruzzo | |
| Cingulum | Cingoli | Marche | Velina |
| Cluana | Civitanova Marche | Marche | |
| Cupra Maritima | nearCupra Marittima (Grottammare) | Marche | Velina |
| Cupra Montana | near Sant'Eleuterio ofCupramontana | Marche | Velina |
| Falerio | nearFalerone | Marche | Velina |
| Firmum Picenum[14] | Fermo | Marche | Velina |
| Hadria | Atri | Abruzzo | Maecia |
| Interamnia | Teramo | Abruzzo | Velina |
| Novana | unknown, probably in theAso valley | Marche | |
| Numana | Numana | Marche | |
| Pausulae | near San Claudio al Chienti,Corridonia | Marche | Velina |
| Planina | near San Vittore diCingoli | Marche | Velina |
| Potentia | near Santa Maria a Potenza,Porto Recanati | Marche | Velina |
| Ricina | Villa Potenza,Macerata | Marche | Velina |
| Septempeda | San Severino Marche | Marche | Velina |
| Tolentinum | Tolentino | Marche | Velina |
| Trea | nearTreia | Marche | Velina |
| Urbs Salvia | nearUrbisaglia | Marche | Velina |
Media related toRegio V Picenum at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
