Antium
- An ancient town in Latium distinguished for the temple of Fortune (Hor. C. 1, 35, 1), not far from the sea-coast, now Porto d'Anzio, the birthplace of Nero, Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 27; Inscr. Orell. 1738; cf. Mann. Ital. 1, 618; Müll. Roms Campagn. 2, 271 sq.—Hence,
- II Derivv.
- A Antĭānus, a, um, adj., Antian: Hercules Antianus, honored at Antium, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. p. 284, 1.—
- B Antĭas, ātis, adj., of or belonging to Antium, Antian, Liv. 8, 14; so id. 6, 9; 8, 12 al.—So, Valerius Antias, a historian before Livy, Gell. 1, 7, 10; cf. Bähr, Lit. Gesch. 260; Teuffel, Röm. Lit. § 142, 3.
- —Hence, Antĭātes, um, m., the inhabitants of Antium: naves Antiatum, Liv. 8, 14 fin.—
- C Antĭātīnus, a, um, adj., Antian: fortunae, Suet. Calig. 57.—
- D Antĭensis, e, adj., the same: templum, Val. Max. 1, 8, n. 2.
A´NTIUM(Ἄντιον, Strab. Dionys. &c.: later Greek writers have Ἄνθιον, Procop. Philostr.: Eth. Antias,--ātis), one of the most ancient and powerful cities of Latium, situated on a promontory or projecting angle of the sea-coast, at the distance of 260 stadia from Ostia (Strab. 5. p. 232), and 38 miles from Rome. It is still called Porto d'Anzo. Tradition ascribed its foundation, in common with that of Ardea and Tusculum, to a son of Ulysses and Circe (Xenag. ap. Dionys. 1.72; Steph. B. s. v.), while others referred it to Ascanius (Solin. 2.16). It seems probable that it was one of those Latin cities in which the Pelasgian element preponderated, and that it owed its origin to that people. (Niebuhr, vol. 1. p. 44.) In consequence of its advantageous maritime position the inhabitants seem early to have devoted themselves to commerce as well as piracy, and continued down to a late period to share in the piratical practices of their kindred cities on the coast of Etruria. (Strab. l. c.) It seems doubtful whether, in early times, it belonged to the Latin League; Dionysius represents it as first joining that confederacy under Tarquinius Superbus (Dionys. 4.49), but he is certainly mistaken in representing it as then already a Volscian city. (See Niebuhr, vol. 2. p. 108.) And though we find its name in the treaty concluded by the Romans with Carthage among the Latin cities which were subject to or dependent upon Rome (Plb. 3.22), it does not appear in the list given by Dionysius of the thirty towns which, in B.C. 493, constituted the Latin League. (Dionys. 5.61.) That author, however, represents it as sending assistance to the Latins before the battle of Regillus (6.3), and it was probably at that time still a Latin city. But within a few years afterwards it must have fallen into the hands of the Volscians, as we find it henceforth taking an active part in their wars against the Latins and Romans, until in the year B.C. 468 it was taken by the latter, who sought to secure it by sending thither a colony. (Liv. 2.33, 63, 65, 3.1; Dionys. 6.92, 9.58, 59; Niebuhr, vol. ii. pp. 246--248.) A few years afterwards, however (B.C. 459), Antium again revolted; and though it is represented by the annalists as having been reconquered, this appears to be a fiction, and we find it from henceforward enjoying complete independence for near 120 years, during which period it rose to great opulence and power, and came to be regarded as the chief city of the Volscians. (Liv. 3.4, 5, 23; Niebuhr, vol. ii. pp. 254, 255.) During the former part of this period it continued on friendly terms with Romne; but in B.C. 406, we find it, for a short time, joining with the other Volscian cities in their hostilities: and after the invasion of the Gauls, the Antiatans took the lead in declaring war against the Romans, which they waged almost without intermission for 13 years (B.C. 386--374), until repeated defeats at length compelled them to sue for peace. (Liv. 4.59, 6.6--33; Niebuhr, vol. ii. pp. 465, 583--593.) Notwithstanding this lesson, they again provoked the hostility of Rome in B.C. 348, by sending a colony to Satricum; and in the great Latin War (B.C. 340--338) they once more took the lead of the Volscians, in uniting their arms with those of the Latins and their allies, and shared in their defeats at Pedum and Astura. Their defection was severely punished; they were deprived of all their ships of war (the beaks of which served to adorn the Rostra at Rome), and prohibited from all maritime commerce, while a Roman colony was sent to garrison their town. (Liv. 7.27, 8.1, 12--14; Niebuhr, vol. 3. p. 128, 140--144.)
From this time Antium figures only in history as one of the maritime colonies of Rome (Liv. 27.38, 36.3); but Strabo states, that the inhabitants did not discontinue their piratical habits even after they had become subject to Rome, and that Alexander the Great, and Demetrius (Poliorcetes), successively sent embassies to complain of their depredations. (Strab. 5. p. 232.) It was taken by Marius during the civil wars (Appian. B.C. 1.69); and suffered severely from the ravages of his followers (Liv. Epit. lxxx.), but appears to have quickly recovered, and became, during the latter days of the Republic, as well as under the Roman Empire, a favourite place of resort with wealthy Romans, who adorned both the town and its neighbourhood with splendid villas. (Strab. l. c.) Among others, Cicero had a villa here, to which he repeatedly alludes. ( Ad Att. 2.1, 7, 11, &c.) Nor was it less in favour with the emperors themselves; it was here that Augustus first received from the people the title of Pater Patriae(Suet. Aug. 58); it was also the birth-place of Caligula (Id. Cal. 8), as well as of Nero, who, in consequence, regarded it with especial favour; and not only enlarged and beautified the imperial villa, but established at Antium a colony of veterans of the praetorian guard, and constructed there a new and splendid port, the remains of which are still visible. (Id. Ner. 6. 9; Tac. Ann. 14.27, 15.23.) It was at Antiumn, also, that he received the tidings of the great conflagration of Rome. (Ibid. 15.39.) Later emperors continued to regard it with equal favour; it was indebted to Antoninus Pius for the aqueduct, of which some portions still remain, and Septimius Severus added largely to the buildings of the imperial residence. (Capitol. Ant. Pins, 8; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. 8.20.) The population and importance of the town appear, however, to have declined; and though we learn that its port was still serviceable in A.D. 537 (Procop. B. G. 1.26), we find no subsequent mention of it; and during the middle ages it appears to have been wholly deserted, the few inhabitants having established themselves at Nettuno. The attempts made by Innocent XII. and subsequent popes to restore the port, though attended with very imperfect success, have again attracted a small population to the spot, and the modern village of Porto d'Anzocontains about 500 inhabitants.
Antium was celebrated for its temple of Fortune, alluded to by Horace (O Diva gratum quae regis Antium, Hor. Carm. 1.35 ; Tac. Ann. 3.71), which was one of the wealthiest in Latium, on which account its treasures were laid under contribution by Octavian in the war against L. Antonius in B.C. 41 (Appian. B.C. 5.24), as well as for one of Aesculapius, where the god was said to have landed on his way from Epidaurus to Rome (Val. Max.; Ovid. Met. 15.718). The neighbouring small town of Nettunoprobably derives its name from a temple of Neptune, such as would naturally belong to a city so much devoted to maritime pursuits. The same place is generally supposed to occupy the site of the ancient CENO,which, as we learn from Livy and Dionysius, served as the naval station and arsenal of Antium (Liv. 2.63; Dionys. 9.56.) Besides this, several other towns, as Longula, Pollusca, and Satricum, were dependent upon Antium in the days of its greatest power.
The only remains of the ancient Latin or Volscian city are some trifling fragments of its walls; it appears to have occupied the hill a little to the N. of the modern town, and a short distance from the sea. The extensive ruins which adjoin the ancient port, and extend along the sea-coast for a considerable distance on each side of the promontory, are wholly of Roman date, and belong either to the imperial villa, or to those of private individuals. The greater part of those immediately adjoining the outer mole may be referred, from the style of their construction, to the reign of Nero, and evidently formed part of his palace. Excavations which have been made, from time to time, among these ruins, have brought to light numerous works of art of the first order, of which the most celebrated are the statue of the Apollo Belvedere, and that commonly known as the Fighting Gladiator. (Nibby, Dintorni di Roma, vol. 1. p. 187.) The remains of the port constructed by Nero, which are extensive and well preserved, prove that it was wholly artificial, and formed by two moles, the one projecting immediately from the extremity of the promontory, the other opposite to it, enclosing between them a basin of not less than two miles in circumference. Great part of this is now filled with sand, but its circuit may still be readily traced. Previous to the construction of this great work, Antium could have had no regular port (Strabo expressly tells us that it had none), and notwithstanding its maritime greatness, was probably content with the beach below the town, which was partially sheltered by the projecting headland on the W. The ruins still visible at Antium are fully described by Nibby ( Dintorni di Roma, vol. 1. p. 181--197); of the numerous inscriptions which have been found there, the most important are given by Orelli (Nos. 2273, 2648, 3180), and by Nibby (l. c.). Among them is a valuable fragment of an ancient calendar, which has been repeatedly published: for the first time by Volpi ( Tabula Antiatina, 4to. Romae, 1726), and by Orelli (vol. ii. pp. 394--405.)
Q. Valerius, the Roman annalist, was a native of Antium, from whence he derived the surname of Antias, by which he is commonly known.
[E.H.B]An ancient town of Latium on a rocky promontory running into the Tuscan Sea. It was founded by the Tyrrhenians and Pelasgians, and was noted for its piracy. It was taken by the Romans in B.C. 468, and a colony was sent thither; but it revolted, was taken a second time by the Romans in 338, was deprived of all its ships, the beaks of which (rostra) served to ornament the platform of the speakers in the Roman Forum, and received another Roman colony. In the latter times of the Republic, and under the Empire, it was a favourite residence of many of the Roman nobles and emperors. The emperor Nero was born here, and in the remains of his palace was found the famous statue of the Apollo Belvedere. See Apollo.
A site, ca. 52 km S of Rome, inhabited long before it became a Volscian city in the 5th c. B.C. The archaic cremation and inhumation burials from the 8th and 7th c. B.C. are closely related to those in the Alban Hills and at Rome. One of the most important Volscian cities, it participated in the struggle against Rome until 467 B.C. when it became the site of one of the priscae coloniae Latinae. An uprising against Rome in 338 B.C., after the battle at the river Astura, was suppressed. The port, the Caenon, was occupied, the fleet destroyed, and the rostra were set up as a triumph in the Roman forum. In the same year a Roman colony was founded at Antium governed by magistrates sent from Rome. Not until 317 did the city obtain its own magistrates. A new colony formed of veterans of the praetorian guard was created under Nero, who also gave new importance to the harbor.
The barbarian invasions of the 5th and 6th c. A.D., as well as the later Saracen invasions, led to the abandonment of the city, which was not repopulated until the 18th c.
The ancient city had a perimeter of ca. 3900 m, enclosed by fortifications consisting of earthworks with a supporting wall of tufa blocks dated on stratigraphic evidence to the 5th or 4th c. B.C. There must have been at least three gates, one toward Rome where the Via Anziatina together with the Via Severiana entered the city. The course of the latter outside the city remains unchanged today. A second gate must have been situated to the S toward the sea on an axis with the first. A third gate must have given egress to the Via Anziatina, which led to Astura. For defensive reasons the port remained outside the fortified area.
The location of the older harbor, the Caenon (Liv. 2.63.6; Dion. Hal. 9.56) is not known. Nero built the Roman harbor (Suet. Ner. 9) with two piers built out on two small promontories. The W pier, of which there are scarce remains, was ca. 850 m long. The S pier was ca. 700 m long with the beacon at the end of it. Part of this shorter pier was reused in building the harbor of Innocent XII. The entrance to the harbor, 68 m long, opened toward SE. There are remains of storehouses near the W pier.
Remains of a building with a semicircular front and straight sides, perhaps a circus, lie between the Villa Corsini and the route of the Via Anziatina towards Rome. The Villa Spingarelli, in the area called Le Vignacce, is built on the remains of a Roman villa constructed on terraces descending toward the sea. Of the ancient theater, found in the city proper, the cavea has a diameter of 30 m and there is a long colonnade behind the scena. It is constructed in opus mixtum and is dated to the second half of the 1st c. A.D. An aqueduct of the 2d c. A.D. built of brick brought water into the city from a spring ca. 4 km to the W. On the coast, beyond the W pier are the remains of an imperial villa mainly dating between the reigns of Nero and Hadrian. It faced the sea with terraces, cryptoportici, and an exedra surrounded by a colonnade. Of the villa's theater, built on an artificial terrace, there are no remains. Almost all the emperors of the 1st c. A.D. and Septimius Severus lived here.
Ruins no longer visible are known to us from the works of G. R. Volpi. Thus we know how the Temple of Fortuna looked although we do not know its location. The shore in front of the harbor was occupied by a series of buildings, probably horrea with windows and arched doors. The Temple of Aesculapius mentioned by Livy (43.4.7) and by Ovid (Met. 15.718) must have been located in the same area, near the harbor.
BIBLIOGRAPHYL. Bayard, “Elpénor à Antium?,” MélRome 40 (1923) 115-22; G. Lugli, “Saggio sulla topografia della antica Antium,” RivIstArch 7 (1940) 153-88; id., “Le fortificazioni delle antiche città italiche,” RendLinc 2 (1947) 294-307; P. Barocelli, “Sepolcreto preromano di Anzio,” BPI 5-6 (1941-52) 231; L. Morpurgo, “Sepolcreto sotterraneo pagano,” NSc (1944-45) 105-26; cf. also AttiPontAcc 22 (1946-47) 155-66; R. De Coster, “La Fortuna d'Antium,” AntCl 19 (1950) 65-80; M. L. Scevola, RendIstLomb 93 (1959) 417-36; 94 (1960) 221-60: 100 (1966) 205-43; L. R. Taylor, “The voting districts of the Roman republic,” PAAR 20 (1960) 319-23; A. La Regina, EAA 6 (1965) s.v. Porto d'Anzio, with bibl. on ancient art objects found at Antium; P. G. Gierow, The Iron Age Culture of Latium, I (1966) passim; G. Schmiedt, Atlante Aerofotografico, II (1970) pls. 22, 133.
A. LA REGINA