Roman provincial town revealed street by street

[Rowan]

Originally founded as a colony in the 4th century BCE, the site of Interamna Lirenas lies in the Liri Valley in Southern Lazio, about 50 miles south of Rome itself. It was founded in 312 BCE as a colony of Latins in an area already settled by Volscans , on the route of the Via Latina. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, where the name “Interamna” (meaning “between river”). It was abandoned around the year 500 CE, and then scavenged for building materials until today, the site is an uninterrupted stretch of farmland, with almost no recognisable archaeological features.

Geophysical archaeologists have now successfully produced the first images of the ancient site, using methods that allowed them to survey beneath the surface of the earth and map the layout of the entire settlement, which spans 25 hectares.

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[parthianbow]

Absolutely fascinating, Rowan. Thanks for the link!

[fljustice]

Thanks for the link, Rowan. Excellent example of how archaeological investigation is evolving.

[LoveHistory]

Now that is awesome!