History of Abruzzo
The historic pre-Roman age
The geomorphological features of the territory, which are extremely varied, have allowed the constant and uninterrupted presence of Man in Abruzzo for about 700.000 years when the first nomadic populations of hunters harvesters of the Palaeolithic period lived in those valleys of the region which opened up towards the sea.
With the Neolithic period, about 6.500 years ago an essentially agricultural economy was present in the small villages according to the autochthonous cultures of Catignano and Ripoli.
At the beginning of the Metal Age sheep-farming developed progressively with the arrival of peoples of oriental origin who subsequently took over from the Neolithics, thus generating the new cultural world that was made up of elements of agricultural and pastoral extraction and which provided the basis for the Italic civilisation.
The Italics were divided up into numerous tribal groups amongst which there were the Marsi, the Samnites, the Aequi, the Vestini, and those of the Peligna valley. The most important finding of this period that we still have today is the statue of the Warrior of Capestrano, a funeral stele of the 6th century B.C. which is preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Chieti, and represents a warrior with all his offensive and defensive weapons. Other significant testimonies to the pre-Roman period are visible, in particular, at the Archaeological Museum in Campli (Te) which has preserved objects discovered in the Picenian necropolis at Campovalano. However, the whole region is rich with ruins and findings belonging to this era. Remains of megalithic walls and buildings have been recovered at Alfedena (L'Aquila) which were probably from the ancient Samnite center of Aufidena, well-known from the 7th to the 2nd century B.C. and destroyed by the Romans in 298 B.C. A huge Samnite necropolis has also come to light with more than six thousand tombs datable from the 7th to the 3rd century B.C.
Other significant testimonies to the pre-Roman period are visible, in
particular, at the Archaeological Museum in Campli (Te) which has preserved
objects discovered in the Picenian necropolis at Campovalano. However, the whole
region is rich with ruins and findings belonging to this era. Remains of
megalithic walls and buildings have been recovered at Alfedena (L'Aquila) which
were probably from the ancient Samnite center of Aufidena, well-known from the
7th to the 2nd century B.C. and destroyed by the Romans in 298 B.C. A huge
Samnite necropolis has also come to light with more than six thousand tombs
datable from the 7th to the 3rd century B.C.
At Montenerodomo, outstanding remains of polygonal walls, attributable to an
Italic settlement of considerable size, have been unearthed, whilst a little way
outside Tornareccio the ruins of the megalithic walls of Pallanum, an ancient
Frentani center, can be seen. The ruins of an Italic temple, datable as the 3rd
to 2nd century B.C. have been discovered at Castiglione Messer Raimondo, in the
Colle San Giorgio area. Its clay decoration, partly reconstructed, is preserved
at the Archaeological Museum in Chieti together with the decorative parts in
brickwork which carne from the two Italic temples in Schiavi d'Abruzzo, as well
as other archaeological findings from all over the region.
At Montenerodomo, outstanding remains of polygonal walls, attributable to an Italic settlement of considerable size, have been unearthed, whilst a little way outside Tornareccio the ruins of the megalithic walls of Pallanum, an ancient Frentani center, can be seen. The ruins of an Italic temple, datable as the 3rd to 2nd century B.C. have been discovered at Castiglione Messer Raimondo, in the Colle San Giorgio area. Its clay decoration, partly reconstructed, is preserved at the Archaeological Museum in Chieti together with the decorative parts in brickwork which carne from the two Italic temples in Schiavi d'Abruzzo, as well as other archaeological findings from all over the region.
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
TangoItalia - Food, Wine, Travel, and... tango in Italy.
Visit Abruzzo:
National Park
Old villages
Chieti Good Friday
L'Aquila
Sheep farming
Pescara
Castelli majolica
Rocca Calascio
Campings
Festivals
The seacost:
- north coast
- central coast
- south coast
coast-mountain
History:
- Pre-Roman
- Roman Age
- Middle Ages
- Renaissance
- Modern age