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ARIMINUM (Ancient city) EMIGLIA ROMANA
Ariminum (Ariminon: Eth. Ariminensis: Rimini), one of the most important
and celebrated cities of Umbria, situated on the coast of the Adriatic, close
to the mouth of the river Ariminus, from which it derived its name (Fest. S. V.),
and only about 9 miles S. of the Rubicon which formed the boundary of Cisalpine
Gaul. Strabo tells us that it was originally an Umbrian city (v. p. 217.): it
must have passed into the hands of the Senonian Gauls during the time that they
possessed the whole of this tract between the Apennines and the sea: but we have
no mention of its name in history previous to the year B.C. 268, when the Romans,
who had expelled the Senones from all this part of Italy, established a colony
at Ariminum. (Liv. Epit. xv.; Eutrop. ii. 16; Vell. Pat. i. 14; Strab.) The position
of this new settlement, close to the extreme verge of Italy towards Cisalpine
Gaul, and just at the point where the last slopes of the Apennines descend to
the Adriatic and bound the great plains which extend from thence without interruption
to the Alps, rendered it a military post of the highest importance, and it was
justly considered as the key of Cisalpine Gaul on the one side, and of the eastern
coast of Italy on the other. (Strab. v. p. 226; Pol. iii. 61.) At the same time
its port at the mouth of the river maintained its communications by sea with the
S. of Italy, and at a later period with the countries on the opposite side of
the Adriatic.
The importance of Ariminum was still further increased by the opening
in B.C. 221 of the Via Flaminia which led from thence direct to Rome, and subsequently
of the Via Aemilia (B.C. 187) which established a direct communication with Placentia.
(Liv. Epit. xx. xxxix. 2.) Hence we find Ariminum repeatedly playing an important
part in Roman history. As early as B.C. 225 it was occupied by a Roman army during
the Gaulish war: in B.C. 218 it was the place upon which Sempronius directed his
legions in order to oppose Hannibal in Cisalpine Gaul; and throughout the Second
Punic War it was one of the points to which the Romans attached the greatest strategic
importance, and which they rarely failed to guard with a considerable army. (Pol.
ii. 23, iii. 61, 77; Liv. xxi. 51, xxiv. 44.) It is again mentioned as holding
a similar place during the Gallic war in B.C. 200, as well as in the civil wars
of Sulla and Marius, on which occasion it suffeared severely, for, having been
occupied by Carbo, it was vindictively plundered by Sulla. (Liv. xxxi. 10, 21;
Appian. B.C. i. 67, 87, 91; Cic. Verr. i. 1. 4) On the outbreak of hostilities
between Caesar and Pompey, it was the first object of the former to make himself
master of Ariminum, from whence he directed his subsequent operations both against
Etruria and Picenum. (Caes. B.C. i. 8, 11; Plut. Caes. 32; Cic. ad Farn. xvi.
1. 2; Appian. B.C. ii. 35.) So also we find it conspicuous during the wars of
Antonius and Octavius (Appian. B.C. iii. 46, v. 33); in the civil war between
Vitellius and Vespasian (Tan. Hist. iii. 41, 42); and again at a much later period
in the contest between Belisarius and the Goths. (Procop. B. G. ii. 10, 17, iii.
37, iv. 28.)
Nor was it only in a military point of view that Ariminum was of importance.
It seems to have been from the first a flourishing colony: and was one of the
eighteen which in B.C. 209, notwithstanding the severe pressure of the Second
Punic War, was still able to furnish its quota of men and money. (Liv. xxvii.
10.) It was indeed for a time reduced to a state of inferiority by Sulla, as a
punishment for the support it had afforded to his enemies. (Cic.pro Caec. 35:
for the various explanations which have been given of this much disputed passage
see Savigny, Vermischte Schriften, vol. i. p. 18, &c. and Marquardt, Handbuch
der Rom. Alterthiumer, vol. iii. p. 39--41.) But notwithstanding this, and the
heavy calamity which it had previously suffered at his hands, it appears to have
quickly revived, and is mentioned in B.C. 43 as one of the richest and most flourishing
cities of Italy. (Appian, B.C. iv. 3.) At that period its lands were portioned
out among the soldiers of the Triumvirs: but Augustus afterwards atoned for this
injustice by adorning it with many splendid public works, some of which are still
extant: and though we hear but little of it during the Roman empire, its continued
importance throughout that period, as well as its colonial rank, is attested by
innumerable inscriptions. (Orell. Inscr. 80, 3049, 3174, &c.; Plin. iii. 15. s.
20.) After the fall of the Western Empire it became one of the cities of the Pentapolis,
which continued subject to the Exarchs of Ravenna until the invasion of the Lombards
at the close of the 6th century.
Pliny tells us that Ariminum was situated between the two rivers Ariminius
and Aprusa. The former, at the mouth of which was situated the port of Ariminum
(Strab. v. p. 217) is now called the Marecchia, and flows under the walls of the
town on the N. side. The Aprusa is probably the trifling stream now called Ausa,
immediately S. of Rimini. In the new division of Italy under Augustus the limits
of the 8th region (Gallia Cispadana) were extended as far as the Ariminus, but
the city Ariminum seems to have been also included in it, though situated on the
S. side of that river. (Plin. l. c.; Ptol. iii. 1. § 22.) The modern city of Rimini
still retains two striking monuments of its ancient grandeur. The first is the
Roman bridge of five arches over the Ariminus by which the town is approached
on the N.: this is built entirely of marble and in the best style of architecture:
it was erected, as we learn from the inscription still remaining on it, by Augustus,
but completed by Tiberius: and is still, both from its perfect preservation and
the beauty of its construction, the most striking monument of its class which
remains in Italy. On the opposite side of the town the gate leading to Pesaro
is a triumphal arch, erected in honour of Augustus: it is built like the bridge,
of white marble, of the Corinthian order, and in a very pure style of architecture,
though partially disfigured by some later additions. (Eustace, Classical Tour,
vol. i. pp. 281, 282; Rampoldi, Diz. Corogr. vol. iii. p. 594. The inscriptions
are given by Muratori, p. 2006; and Orelli, 604.) A kind of pedestal in the centre
of the town, with a spurious inscription, pretends to be the Suggestum from which
Caesar harangued his troops at Ariminum, after the passage of the Rubicon.
The coins of Ariminum which bear the Latin legend Arim belong to the
period of the Roman colony.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
PARMA (Town) EMIGLIA ROMANA
Parma (Parma: Eth. Parmensis: Parma), a city of Gallia Cispadana,
situated on the Via Aemilia, at the distance of 19 M. P. from Regium Lepidum,
and 40 from Placentia. (Itin. Ant. p. 286.) It was about 15 miles distant from
the Padus, on the banks of a small stream. called the Parma, from which it probably
derived its name; and about 6 miles from the more considerable Tarus or Taro.
We find no mention of the name before the establishment of the Roman colony, though
it is very probable that there already existed a Gaulish town or village on the
spot: but in B.C. 183 after the complete subjugation of the Boii, and the construction
of the Via Aemilia, the Romans proceeded to strengthen their footing in this part
of Gaul by founding the colonies of Mutina and Parma, along the line of the newly
opened highway, which, in connection with the two previously existing colonies
of Bononia and Placentia, formed a continuous chain of Roman towns, from one end
to the other of the Via Aemilia. Parma was a colonia civium, its settlers retaining
their privileges as Roman citizens; it received in the first instance 2000 colonists,
each of whom obtained 8 jugera of land for his allotment. (Liv. xxxix. 55.) We
hear little of Parma for some time after this: it is mentioned incidentally in
B.C. 176, as the head-quarters of the proconsul C. Claudius (Id. xli. 1:7); but
appears to have suffered little from the wars with the Gauls and Ligurians; and
hence rose with rapidity to be a flourishing and prosperous town. But its name
is scarcely mentioned in history till the period of the Civil Wars, when it sustained
a severe blow, having in B.C. 43 taken a prominent part in favour of the senatorial
party against M. Antony, in consequence of which it was taken by that general,
and plundered in the most unsparing manner by his troops. (Cic. ad. Fam. x. 3.
3, xi. 13, a., xii. 5, Phil. xiv. 3, 4.) Cicero still calls it on this occasion
a Colonia, and there can be no doubt that it still retained that rank; but under
Augustus it received a fresh colony, from which it derived the title of Colonia
Julia Augusta, which we find it bearing in inscriptions. (Gruter, Inscr. p. 492.
5; Zumpt, de Colon. p. 354.) Pliny also styles it a Colonia, and there seems no
doubt that it continued under the Roman Empire to be, as it was in the time of
Strabo, one of the principal towns of this populous and flourishing part of Italy.
(Plin. iii. 15. s. 20; Strab. v. p. 216; Ptol. iii. 1. § 46; Phlegon, Macrob.
1.) But its name is scarcely mentioned in history: a proof perhaps of the tranquillity
that it enjoyed. Its territory was celebrated for the excellence of its wool,
which according to Martial was inferior only to that of Apulia. (Martial, xiv.
155; Colum. vii. 2. § 3.) In A.D. 377, a colony of Goths was settled by order
of Gratian in the territory of Parma, as well as the adjoining districts (Ammian.
xxxi. 9. § 4),- a proof that they were already suffering from a decay of the population;
and it is probable that it did not escape the general devastation of the province
of Aemilia by Attila. But it survived these calamities: it still bears a part
as an important town during the wars of Narses with the Goths and their allies,
and is noticed by P. Diaconus, as one of the wealthy cities of Aemilia after the
Lombard conquest. (Agath. B. G. i. 14-17; P. Diac. Hist. Lang. ii. 18.) It retained
its consideration throughout the middle ages, and is still a populous and flourishing
place with above 30,000 inhabitants, but has no remains of antiquity, except a
few inscriptions.
The Roman poet Cassius Parmensis would appear from his name to have
been a native of Parma, but there is no distinct testimony to this effect.
The Itinerary (p. 284) mentions a line of crossroad which proceeded
from Parma across the Apennines to Luca: this must have ascended the valley of
the Parma, or the adjoining one of the Tarus, as far as the main ridge, and and
thence descended the valley of the Macra to Luna. This passage, though little
frequented in modern times, is one of the main lines of natural communication
across this part of the Apennines, and is in all probability that followed by
Hannibal; on his advance into, Etruria.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
RAVENNA (Town) EMIGLIA ROMANA
Ravenna (Rhaouenna, Strab.; Rhabenna, Ptol. et al.: Eth. Ravennas-atis:
Ravenna), one of the most important cities of Gallia Cispadana, situated a short
distance from the sea-coast, at the southern extremity of the extensive range
of marshes and lagunes, which occupied the whole coast of Venetia from thence
to Altinum. (Strab. v. p. 213; Itin. Ant. p. 126.) It was 33 miles N. of Ariminum.
Though included within the limits of Cisalpine Gaul, according to the divisions
established in the days of Strabo and Pliny, it does not appear to have ever been
a Gaulish city. Strabo tells us that it was a Thessalian colony, which probably
meant that it was a Pelasgic settlement, and was connected with the traditions
that ascribed to the Pelasgi the foundation of the neighbouring city of Spina.
But they subsequently, according to the same writer, received a body of Umbrian
colonists, in order to maintain themselves against the growing power of the Etruscans,
and thus became an Umbrian city, to which people they continued to belong till.
they passed under the Roman government. (Strab. v. pp. 214, 217.) Pliny, on the
other hand, calls it a Sabine city,- a strange statement, which we are wholly
unable to explain. (Plin. iii. 15. s. 20.) It seems probable that it was really
an Umbrian settlement, and retained its national character, though, surrounded
by the Lingonian Gauls, until it received a Roman colony. No mention of the name
is found in history till a late period of the Roman Republic, but it appears to
have been then already a place of some consequence. In B.C. 82, during the civil
wars of Marius and Sulla, it was occupied by Metellus, the lieutenant of the latter,
who made it the point of departure from whence he carried on his operations. (Appian,
B.C. i. 89.) Again it was one of the places which was frequently visited by Caesar
during his command in Gaul, for the purpose of raising levies, and communicating
with his friends at Rome (Cic. ad Att. vii. 1, ad Fam. i. 9, viii. 1); and just
before the outbreak of the Civil War it was there that he established his head-quarters;
from whence he carried on negotiations with the senate, and from whence he ultimately
set out on his march to Ariminum. (Id. ib. ii. 32; Caes. B.C. i. 5; Suet. Caes.
30; Appian, B.C. ii. 32.) Its name again figures repeatedly in the civil wars
between Antony and Octavian, especially during the war of Perusia (Appian, B.C.
iii. 42, 97, v. 33, 50, &c.); and it is evident that it was already become one
of the most important towns in this part of Cisalpine Gaul.
It is uncertain at what period Ravenna received a Roman colony. Strabo
speaks of it as having in his time, as well as Ariminum, received a body of Roman
colonists (v. p. 217); but the date is not mentioned, and it certainly did not,
like Ariminum, pass into the condition of a regular Colonia, numerous inscriptions
being extant which give it the title of a Municipium. It is probable that the
settlement alluded to by Strabo took place under Augustus, and it is certain that
it was to that emperor that Ravenna was indebted for the importance which it subsequently
enjoyed during the whole period of the Roman Empire. The situation of the city
was very peculiar. It was surrounded on all sides by marshes, or rather lagunes,
analogous to those which now surround the city of Venice, and was built, like
that city, actually in the water, so that its houses and edifices were wholly
constructed on piles, and it was intersected in all directions by canals, which
were crossed either by bridges or ferries. The lagunes had a direct communication
with the sea, so that the canals were scoured every day by the flux and reflux
of the tides,-a circumstance to which Strabo attributes, no doubt with justice,
the healthiness of the city, which must otherwise have been uninhabitable from
malaria. (Strab. v. p. 213; Jornand. Get. 29; Sidon. Apoll. Epist. i. 5; Procop.
B. G. i. 1; Claudian, de VI. Cons. Hon. 495.) The old city had a small port at
the mouth of the river Bedesis, mentioned by Pliny as flowing under its walls
(Plin. iii. 15. s. 20).; but Augustus, having determined to make it the permanent
station of his fleet in the Adriatic, constructed a new and spacious port, which
is said to have been capable of containing 250 ships of war (Jornand. l. c.),
and was furnished with a celebrated Pharos or lighthouse to mark its entrance.
(Plin. xxxvi 12. s. 18.) This port was near 3 miles distant from the old city,
with which it was connected by a long causeway: a considerable town rapidly grew
up around it, which came to be known by the name of Portus Classis or simply Classis;
while between the two, but nearer to the city, there arose another suburb, scarcely
less extensive, which bore the name of Caesarea. (Jornand. l. c.; Sidon. Apoll.
l. c.; Procop. B. G. ii. 29; Geogr. Rav. iv. 31.) In addition to these works Augustus
constructed a canal, called from him the Fossa Augusta, by which a part of the
waters of the Padus were carried in a deep artificial channel under the very walls
of Ravenna and had their outlet at the port of Classis. (Plin. iii. 16. s. 20;
Jornand. l. c.)
From this time Ravenna continued to be the permanent station of the
Roman fleet which was destined to guard the Adriatic or Upper Sea, as Misenum
was of that on the Lower (Tac. Ann. iv. 5, Hist. ii. 100, iii. 6, 40; Suet. Aug.
49; Veget. de R. Mil. v. 1; Not. Dign. ii. p. 118); and it rose rapidly into one
of the most considerable cities of Italy. For the same reason it became an important
military post, and was often selected by the emperors as their head-quarters,
from which to watch or oppose the advance of their enemies into Italy. In A.D.
193 it was occupied by Severus in his march upon Rome against Didius Julian (Spartian,
Did. Jul. 6; Dion Cass. lxxiii. 17); and in 238 it was there that Pupienus was
engaged in assembling an army to oppose the advance of Maximin when he received
the news of the death of that emperor before Aquileia. (Herodian, viii. 6, 7;
Capit. Maximin. 24, 25, Max. et Balb. 11, 12.) Its strong and secluded position
also caused it to be selected as a frequent place of confinement for prisoners
of distinction, such as the son of the German chieftain Arminius, and Maroboduus,
chief of the Suevi. (Tac. Ann. i. 58, ii. 63; Suet. Tib. 20.) The same circumstances
at a later period led to its selection by the feeble and timid Honorius as the
place of his residence: his example was followed by his successors; and from the
year 404, when Honorius first established himself there, to the close of the Western
Empire, Ravenna continued to be the permanent imperial residence and the place
from whence all the laws and rescripts of the emperors were dated. (Jornand. Get.
29 ; Gibbon, c. 30.) Even before this period we are told that it was a very rich
and populous city, as well as of great strength (Zosim. ii. 10): it was the capital
of Picenum (as that name was then used) and the residence of the Consularis or
governor of that province. (Orell. Inscr. 3649; Backing, ad Not. Dign. ii. pp.
359, 443.) But the establishment of the imperial court there naturally added greatly
to its prosperity and splendour, while its inaccessible situation preserved it
from the calamities which at this period laid waste so many cities of Italy. Yet
Ravenna as a place of residence must always have had great disadvantages. Sidonius
Apollinaris, who visited it late in the fifth century, complains especially of
the want of fresh water, as well as the muddiness of the canals, the swarms of
gnats, and the croaking of frogs. (Sidon. Apoll. Ep. i. 5, 8.) Martial, at a much
earlier period, also alludes to the scarcity of fresh water, which he jestingly
asserts was so dear that a cistern was a more valuable property than a vineyard.
(Martial, iii. 56, 57.)
After the fall of the Western Empire Ravenna continued to be the capital
of the Gothic kings. Odoacer, who had taken refuge there after repeated defeats
by Theodoric, held out for near three years, but was at length compelled to surrender.
(Jornand. Get. 57; Cassiod. Chron. p. 649.) Theodoric himself established his
residence there, and his example was followed by his successors, until, in 539,
Vitiges was after a long siege compelled by famine to surrender the city to Belisarius.
(Procop. B. G. ii. 28 29.) It now became the residence of the governors who ruled
a part of Italy in the name of the Byzantine emperors, with the title of exarchs,
whence the whole of this province came to be known as the Exarchate of Ravenna.
The Byzantine governors were in a state of frequent hostility with the Lombard
kings, and were gradually stripped of a large portion of their dominions; but
Ravenna itself defied their arms for more than two centuries. It was besieged
by Liutprand about 750, and its important suburb of Classis totally destroyed
(P. Diac. vi. 49); but it was not till the reign of his successor Astolphus that
Ravenna itself fell into the hands of the Lombards. But the exact date, as well
as the circumstances of its final conquest, are uncertain. (Gibbon, c. 49.)
The situation of Ravenna at the present day presents no resemblance
to that described by ancient writers. Yet there is no doubt that the modern city
occupies the same site with the ancient one, and that the change is wholly due
to natural causes. The accumulation of alluvial deposits, brought down by the
rivers and driven back by the waves and tides, has gradually filled up the lagunes
that surrounded and canals that intersected the city; and the modern Ravenna stands
in a flat and fertile plain, at a distance of 4 miles from the sea, from which
it is separated by a broad sandy tract, covered in great part with a beautiful
forest of stone pines. Though Ravenna is one of the most interesting places in
Italy for its mediaeval and early Christian antiquities, it presents few remains
of the Roman period, and those for the most part belong to the declining years
of the Empire. A triumphal arch, known by the name of Porta Aurea, was destroyed
in 1585: it stood near the modern gate called Porta Adriana. Several of the ancient
basilicas date from the Roman period; as does also the sepulchral chapel containing
the tomb of Galla Placidia, the sister of Honorius, and mother of Valentinian
III. A portion of the palace of Theodoric still remains in its original state,
and the mausoleum of that monarch, just without the walls, is a monument of remarkable
character, though stripped of its external ornaments. An ancient basilica, still
called S. Apollinare in Classe, about 3 miles from the southern gate of the city,
preserves the memory and marks the site of the ancient port and suburb of Classis
; while another basilica, which subsisted down to the year 1553, bore the name
of S. Lorezo in Cesarea: and thus indicated the site of that important suburb.
It stood about a quarter of a mile from the south gate of the city, between the
walls and the bridge now called Ponte Nuovo. This bridge crosses the united streams
of the Ronco and Montone, two small rivers which previously held separate courses
to the sea, but were united into one and confined within an artificial channel
by Clement XII. in 1736. The Ronco, which is the southernmost of the two, is probably
the same with the Bedesis of Pliny; indeed Cluverius says that it was in his time
still called Bedeso. Hence the Montone must be identified with the Vitis of the
same author. The Anemo, which he places next in order, is clearly the same now
called the Amone or Lamone, which flows under the walls of Faenza. (Plin. iii.
15. s. 20; Cluver. Ital. p. 300.)
The natural causes which have produced these changes in the situation
and environs of Ravenna were undoubtedly in operation from an early period. Already
in the fifth century the original port constructed by Augustus was completely
filled up, and occupied by orchards. (Jornand. Get. 29.) But Ravenna at that period
had still a much frequented port, where the fleets of Belisarius and Narses could
ride at anchor. The port of Classis itself is now separated from the sea by a
strip of sandy and marshy plain about 2 miles broad, the greater part of which
is occupied by a forest of stone pines, which extends for many miles along the
sea-coast both to the S. and N. of Ravenna. The existence of this remarkable strip
of forest is attested as early as the fifth century, the name of Pineta being
already found in Jornandes, who tells us that Theodoric encamped there when he
besieged Odoacer in Ravenna. (Jornand. 57.) But it is probable that it has extended
its boundaries and shifted its position as the land has gradually gained upon
the sea.
The territory of Ravenna was always fertile, except the sandy strip
adjoining the sea, and produced abundance of wine of good quality, but it was
remarked that the vines quickly decayed. (Strab. v. p. 214; Plin. xiv. 2. s. 4.)
Its gardens also are noticed by Pliny as growing the finest asparagus, while the
adjoining sea was noted for the excellence of its turbot. (Plin. ix. 54. s. 79,
xix. 4. s. 19.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ARIMINUM (Ancient city) EMIGLIA ROMANA
Now Rimini; a town in Umbria, at the mouth of the little river
Ariminus. It was originally inhabited by Umbrians and Pelasgians, was afterwards
in the possession of the Senones, and was colonized by the Romans in B.C. 268,
from which time it appears as a flourishing place. After leaving Cisalpine Gaul,
it was the first town on the eastern coast of Italy at which a person arrived
in Italia proper.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
MODENA (Town) EMIGLIA ROMANA
Mutina, now Modena; an important town in Gallia Cispadana, originally a town of the Boii, and afterwards a Roman colony. It is celebrated in the history of the Civil War after Caesar's death. Decimus Brutus was besieged here by M. Antonius from December, B.C. 44 to April, 43; and under its walls the battles were fought in which the consuls Hirtius and Pansa perished. Hence this war is called the Bellum Mutinense.
RAVENNA (Town) EMIGLIA ROMANA
A town in Northern Italy, now Ravenna. An important place in
Gallia Cisalpina, on the river Bedesis, and about a mile from the sea, though
it is now about five miles in the interior, in consequence of the sea having receded
all along this coast. Ravenna was situated in the midst of marshes, and was only
accessible in one direction by land, probably by the road leading from Ariminum.
It was said to have been founded by Thessalians (Pelasgians), and afterwards to
have passed into the hands of the Umbrians, but it long remained an insignificant
place, and its greatness does not begin till the time of the empire, when Augustus
made it one of the two chief stations of the Roman fleet. Ravenna thus suddenly
became one of the most important places in the north of Italy. When the Roman
Empire was threatened by the barbarians, the emperors of the West took up their
residence at Ravenna, which, on account of its situation and fortifications, was
regarded as impregnable. After the downfall of the Western Empire, Theodoric also
made it the capital of his kingdom; and after the overthrow of the Gothic dominion
by Narses, it became the residence of the exarchs, or the governors of the Byzantine
Empire in Italy, till the Lombards took the town, A.D. 752. Ravenna is remarkable
for its possession of many fine specimens of early Christian art, which may be
studied here to great advantage.
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ARIMINUM (Ancient city) EMIGLIA ROMANA
RAVENNA (Town) EMIGLIA ROMANA
The city, broken by many canals and marshes, has an insular character
which aided its defense and affected its history. The Adriatic gradually receded,
necessitating construction of a new port, Classis, ca. 4 km 5, to handle its commerce.
The city's dominant culture in pre-Roman times was Umbrian (Plin.
HN 3.15.115; Strab. 5.1.7) though its name and early (6th-4th c. B.C.) art were
Etruscan. Ravenna came into Rome's orbit ca. 191 B.C., gained citizenship by the
Lex Julia of 89 (CIL XI, 863), was taken from the Marians by Metellus in 82, served
as Caesar's base in 49 before he crossed the Rubicon (BCiv 1.5ff), and became
the base for Augustus' Adriatic fleet, with capacity of 250 ships. As a result
of this last, the city became more commercial and cosmopolitan. Classis rose,
1st c. A.D., to become an early center of Christianity. On account of its defensibility
Ravenna was made capital of the Western Empire from 404 to the fall, and of Theodoric's
Ostrogothic kingdom till 540, when it became the residence of the Byzantine Exarch
of Italy.
Among the monuments mentioned in sources but completely lost are the
pharos of the early port, probably near the Mausoleum of Theodoric (Plin. HN 36.18),
a circus, amphitheater, theater, and temples to Apollo, outside the Porta Aurea,
to Neptune, to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and others.
The ancient wall, expanded by the Ostrogoths, can barely be reconstructed
from remains of Porta Aurea and a round tower of Porta Salustra, both to the SW.
Though pre-Roman strata have not been reached, Etruscan art is represented
by the warrior (now at Leida Mus.) and other 6th-4th c. B.C. bronze statuettes
in the Mus. Naz. in the convent of S. Vitale. Nothing remains from the Republic,
little from the Early Empire. Of Claudius' Porta Aurea, A.D. 43, the dedicatory
inscription (CIL XI, 4) and other elements are extant in the Mus. Naz., as well
as the marble relief called Apotheosis of Augustus, which may derive from that
gate. Foundations of piers of Trajan's 32 km long aqueduct, restored in 503 by
Theodoric (Cassiod. Var. 5.38), are still seen in the Ronco, SW of the city.
Numerous 2d-6th c. funerary stelai and sarcophagi with inscriptions
and portraits from Ravenna and Classis are housed in the Mus. Naz. There are also
collections of ancient glass, coins, ivories, and ceramics. The Mus. Arcivescovile
is also rich in epigraphy, including Christian examples, fragments of Roman reliefs,
and a notable porphyry torso of a late emperor.
By far the most important remains date from the 5th-6th c. To the
NW the tomb of Galla Placidia (d. 450), sister of Honorius, holds supposedly her
sarcophagus and those of Constantius and her son Valentinian III, but these identifications
have not been verified. In S. Vitale nearby, begun ca. 525, can be seen fragments
of a Roman frieze and the famous contemporary mosaic of Justinian and Theodora
with retinues, a fine documentation of Imperial costume and portraiture.
To the NE, ca. 1.6 km from town, a barbarian necropolis lies near
the Mausoleum of Theodoric. The latter, built ca. 520 of Istrian stone, had a
decagonal lower and a cylindrical upper level surmounted by a monolithic cupola
ca. 10.98 m in diameter, weighing 300 tons.
S. Apollinare Nuovo to the E, originally built by Theodoric, contains
the largest mosaic surface extant from antiquity, depicting his palace and the
cities of Ravenna and Classis. Justinian's portrait is above the door. Foundations
just to the S may be the actual remains of the palace while the extant so-called
palace of Theodoric is thought to be in reality the later palace of the Byzantine
Exarch. The oldest standing building, dated ca. 400, is the Neone (Orthodox) Baptistery.
S. Apollinare in Classe (ded. 549) is rich in mosaics.
Air-photo studies prior to 1961 helped to define the ancient topography
of Chassis, where excavations of 1963-67 turned up Roman foundations of the 1st-4th
c. beneath S. Severo. Necropoleis extending over 3 km along Via Romea Vecchia
date from Augustus' time to the 4th c. and attest to a large population.
D. C. Scavone, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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