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37-778: Ferentinum was a town of the Hernici ; it was captured from them by the Romans in 364 BC and took no part in the rising of 306 BC. The inhabitants became Roman citizens after 195 BC, and the place later became a municipium. It lay just above the Via Latina and, being a strong place, served for the detention of hostages. From 1198 to 1557 it was the seat of the Papal rectorate of Campagna and Marittima province. Strong in textiles (linen and embroidery) and handicraft (clay bricks from Fornaci Giorgi), after World War II Ferentino experienced

74-465: A Roman army ravaged Aequian territory again in 388, this time meeting no resistance. Oakley (1997) considers these notices of Roman victories against the Aequi in 389 and 388 to be historical, confirmed by the disappearance of the Aequi from the sources until 304. Owing to the dispute in the sources, however, the precise nature of the fighting around Bolae cannot be determined. Bolae was a Latin town, but it

111-619: A greater number than had been raised previously at any one time, three of which were assigned to the consul Veturius to deal with the Aequi. The Aequi had invaded Latium , and Veturius marched there to meet the enemy at the request of the Latin allies of Rome, rather than allowing the Latins to arm themselves. Upon the arrival of the Roman army, the Aequians retreated from Latium to the safety of

148-514: A heavy industrial growth, mainly in pharmaceuticals. Ferentino still possesses remains of ancient fortifications. The lower portion of the outer walls, which probably did not stand free, is built of roughly hewn blocks of a limestone which naturally splits into horizontal layers; above this in places is walling of rectangular blocks of tuff . Two gates, the Porta Maggiore , a double gate constructed entirely of rectangular blocks of tuff, and

185-474: A native of Rome, relented and broke off the siege. The Volsci eventually returned to attack Rome, and were joined by an army of the Aequi. However, the Aequi refused to accept the leadership of Aufidius, and as a result a dispute broke out and the two armies fought, diminishing the strength of each of them such that they were no longer a threat to Rome. The Volsci and the Aequi were together defeated again in 485 BC. The consul Quintus Fabius Vibulanus incurred

222-575: A result. The Aequi were not finally subdued until the end of the second Samnite war , when they seem to have received a limited form of franchise. During the period of popular discontent in Rome which led to the First secessio plebis in 494 BC , the Volsci , Sabines , and Aequi each took up arms at the same time. In response, Manius Valerius Maximus was appointed as dictator . Ten legions were raised,

259-536: The Cosmatesque style and a 12th-century mosaic pavement. The Gothic church of Santa Maria Maggiore , in the lower town (13th-14th century), has a very fine exterior; the interior, the plan of which is a perfect rectangle, has been spoiled by restoration. Other religious edifices include the Benedictine church of San Valentino (mostly remade after World War II, but still including 13th-century frescoes) and

296-636: The Porta Sanguinaria (with an arch with tuff voussoirs), are preserved. Outside this gate, the testament of Aulus Quinctilius Priscus inscribed in the rock. The highest part of the town, the acropolis (2nd-1st centuries BC), is fortified also; it has massive retaining walls similar to those of the lower town. At the eastern corner, under the present episcopal palace, the construction is somewhat more careful. A projecting rectangular terrace has been erected, supported by walls of quadrilateral blocks of limestone arranged almost horizontally; while upon

333-419: The Aequi retreated to their own territory. However the Aequi immediately returned to Latium and began pillaging the countryside. News of this fresh attack, at a time when both consuls were still absent from the city, caused panic in Rome. The consul Quinctius returned to the city, and to calm the populace he declared the justitium and appointed Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus as praefectus urbi during

370-465: The Aequi, and had fought with the Aequi against Rome, and had subsequently returned to Antium. The Roman consuls Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis and Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus summoned the chief men of Antium to Rome to explain their position, but they attended without reluctance and answered sufficiently that they were allowed return to Antium. The Aequi invaded the Hernican territory, and

407-486: The Aequi. They fought several battles against the Romans including the battle of Mount Algidus (458 BC). Their chief center is said to have been taken by the Romans about 484 BC and again about ninety years later. Records of fighting between Romans and Aequi become much sparser in the second half of the 5th century BC. Likely the Aequi had gradually become a more settled people and their raiding petered out as

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444-656: The Etruscans, the Volsci, and the Aequi all raised armies in hope of exploiting this blow to Roman power. According to Livy and Plutarch , the Aequi gathered their army at Bolae . However, the Roman dictator, Marcus Furius Camillus , had just inflicted a severe defeat on the Volsci. He surprised the Aequian army and captured both their camp and the town. According to Diodorus Siculus , the Aequi were actually besieging Bolae when they were attacked by Camillus. According to Livy,

481-458: The Latin territory. The Latins , joined by the Hernici but without the assistance of any Roman troops or Roman commander, repelled the enemy and captured a significant amount of booty. In 471 BC the Aequi again invaded, as did the Volsci. The consul Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus was given command of the Roman forces against the Aequi. He successfully ravaged the enemy territory. In contrast to his colleague Claudius who had offended

518-617: The Latins. In 475 BC they fought alongside the Latins against the Aequi and Volsci, and in the same year fought alongside Rome against the Veientes and Sabines. In 468 BC they fought alongside Rome against the Volsci. In 464 BC they warned Rome of the betrayal of Ecetra , and fought alongside Rome against the Aequi who were allied with the Ecetrans. They broke away from Rome in 362 and in 306, when their chief town Anagnia

555-483: The Roman consul Quintus Fabius Vibulanus was sent into the Aequian territory with a Roman army. The Aequi sued for peace, and peace was agreed. However the Aequi broke the peace shortly after by a raid into Latin territory. In 466 BC the consul Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus led a Roman army into Aequian territory to continue the war. However an illness through the Roman camp prevented any military engagement. In 465 BC Quintus Fabius Vibulanus, Roman consul for

592-466: The Roman consul Furius marched against them. In an initial battle the Aequi were victorious, and the Roman forces were besieged in their camp. The Hernici sent news of the defeat to Rome, and the senate declared the emergency decree, the senatus consultum ultimum (the first recorded occasion of that decree), urging the remaining consul Postumius to take all measures to protect the state. Postumius remained at Rome to levy troops and Titus Quinctius, consul

629-588: The Romanesque monastery of Sant'Antonio Abate , which housed the remains of Pope Celestine V until 1327. The latter's heart is preserved in the small convent church of the Clarisse (17th century). In 2021, Italy's Minister of Culture awarded €1.5 million to fund the first full excavation of the town's Roman theatre, which will be partially restored for community use. Hernici The Hernici were an Italic tribe of ancient Italy , whose territory

666-463: The Volscian town of Ecetra (already under Roman rule) against Rome. The Hernici learnt of this alliance, and warned Rome that the Ecetrans had revolted. The Romans also suspected that the Volscian town of Antium (which included a Roman colony) would also revolt. This suspicion arose because Antium had been defeated by Rome in 468 BC, and many of the chief opponents of Rome from Antium had fled to

703-440: The anger of the plebs by lodging the spoils of victory with the publicum . Hostilities with the Volsci and Aequi were renewed in 484 BC. The Romans, led by the consul Lucius Aemilius Mamercus , defeated the enemy, and the Roman cavalry slaughtered many in the rout which followed. The Aequi took up arms again in 482 BC. In 481 BC they laid siege to the Latin town of Ortona , and the Romans raised an army and placed it under

740-452: The command of the consul Kaeso Fabius . The Romans met the Aequi in battle, and routed them solely by a cavalry charge. Due to popular discontent amongst the Roman army, both with the patricians and with Fabius himself, the Roman infantry refused to pursue the enemy. Fabius exhorted them to attack the fleeing enemy, but they refused, and returned to camp. Nevertheless Fabius and the army returned to Rome victorious. In 479 BC Kaeso Fabius

777-414: The consul to pursue him, and he was himself wounded and only just rescued from the enemy. The Aequi besieged the Romans in their camp once again, and displayed the head of the consul's brother. But then the proconsul Quinctius arrived with Latin and Hernican forces, and attacked the Aequian army. The besieged Roman army again broke forth from the camp, and the Aequian army was soundly defeated. Postumius

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814-539: The consuls' absence. Quinctius and his army then left Rome again, but were unable to locate the enemy to engage in battle. He returned to Rome four days later and declared the justitium concluded. Meanwhile the other consul Fabius successfully ambushed the Aequi and routed them, recovering all the bounty that had been taken from Latin territory. He then pursued the Aequi into their own territory and ravaged their lands, later returning to Rome with much bounty and glory. Hostilities continued in 464 BC. The Aequi allied with

851-403: The cornice, and the wall continues above them again. The whole of this construction probably belongs to one period. The Cathedral of Sts John and Paul occupies a part of the level top of the ancient acropolis; it was reconstructed on the site of an older church in 1099–1118; the interior was modernized in 1693, but was restored to its original form in 1902. It contains a fine ciborium in

888-527: The full Roman citizenship. The oldest Latin inscriptions of the district (from Ferentinum ) are earlier than the Social War , and present no local characteristic. A couple of inscriptions show that the Hernican language was a member of the Sabellian group. Their name, with its " co " termination, classes them along with the "co"-tribes, like the Volsci, who would seem to have been earlier inhabitants of

925-463: The level thus formed a building of rectangular blocks of local travertine was raised. The projecting cornice of this building bears two inscriptions of the period of Sulla , recording its construction by two censors (local officials); and in the interior, which contains several chambers, there is an inscription of the same censors over one of the doors, and another over a smaller external side door. The windows lighting these chambers come immediately above

962-400: The mountains to the east. Shortly afterwards, the Romans advanced into the mountains towards the Aequian camp. The Roman consul would have preferred to delay any attack, because the Aequian army's camp was situated on a position which was difficult to approach. However, the Roman troops demanded that there be no delay, because of their anxiety to return to Rome as soon as possible because of

999-453: The plebeians and therefore lost the discipline of his troops, Quinctius suffered no military ill-discipline. Indeed his troops returned to Rome with praises for Quinctius, calling him their 'parent'. In the following year the Roman consul Lucius Valerius Potitus again led Roman troops into Aequian territory. He unsuccessfully attempted to assault the Aequian army camp, and instead ravaged the Aequian territory. Three years later in 467 BC,

1036-472: The political events that had been fomenting there. Therefore, the Roman army advanced up the hill towards the Aequian camp. The Aequi, however, were so stunned at the Romans' boldness that they abandoned their camp and fled. The Roman army captured the Aequian camp, and took from it an abundance of booty, thereby securing a bloodless victory. In 488 BC the Volsci, led by Gaius Marcius Coriolanus and Attius Tullus Aufidius , laid siege to Rome. Coriolanus,

1073-459: The previous year, was granted command of fresh Roman forces as proconsul . The Latin allies, the Hernici, and Antium, were each ordered to provide emergency troops. Aequian forces were sent to invade Roman territory, and if possible to attack the city. The remaining consul Postumius was sent to meet this new threat and Lucius Valerius, the consul of 470 BC, was left to defend Rome. A justitium

1110-415: The second time, was given a special command against the Aequi. He sought to persuade the Aequi to make peace, however the Aequi rejected that offer, and marched to Algidum . The Romans were so offended by the Aequian behaviour that the second consul, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus , was sent with another Roman army against the Aequi. A battle was fought and the Romans were successful, following which

1147-479: The west coast of Italy, rather than with the tribes whose names were formed with the " no "-suffix. Roman-Aequian wars#Ongoing hostilities from 485 BC The Roman-Aequian wars were a series of wars during the early expansion of ancient Rome in central Italy fought against the Aequi , an Italic tribe located to their east. Livy mentions that the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus , made peace with

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1184-407: Was again consul. The Aequi invaded Latin territory, and Fabius was assigned an army to deal with the threat. No significant battle was fought, because the Aequi retreated to their walled towns. When word arrived that the other consul Titus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus was threatened by the Veientes, Fabius took his army to rescue his colleague. In 475 BC the Aequi together with the Volsci invaded

1221-406: Was also successful against the Aequian forces in Roman territory, and he was joined in the attack by the returning Roman armies of Quinctius and Furius. Livy, relying on Valerius Antias , gives the number of Romans dead in Hernican territory as 5,300, and 2,400 Aequi killed in Roman territory plus a further 4,230 Aequians killed fleeing with booty. The Roman forces returned to Rome. The justitium

1258-404: Was declared for several days. Meanwhile the Roman forces led by the consul Furius burst forth from their besieged camp and attacked the Aequi. The Roman attack initially succeeded, however the consul's brother Publius , (who had been consul in 472 BC and was serving as a legatus under his brother's command) led his forces too far from the main Roman force, and was cut off and killed. This led

1295-512: Was ended. The Latin and Hernican troops were returned with much thanks. A force of 1,000 from Antium arrived too late to give assistance and were dismissed. A number of portents were witnessed in Rome at the conclusion of this war, and a solemn festival of three days was declared to appease the gods. In 390 BC a Gaulish war band defeated the Roman army at the Battle of Allia and then sacked Rome. The ancient writers report that in 389 BC

1332-726: Was in Latium between the Fucine Lake and the Sacco River ( Trerus ), bounded by the Volsci on the south, and by the Aequi and the Marsi on the north. For many years of the early Roman republic they were allied with Rome and fought alongside it against its neighbours. In 495 BC Livy records that they entered into a treaty with the Volsci against ancient Rome . They long maintained their independence, and in 486 BC they were still strong enough to conclude an equal treaty with

1369-533: Was taken and reduced to a praefectura , but Ferentinum , Aletrium and Verulae were rewarded for their fidelity by being allowed to remain free municipia , a position which at that date they preferred to the civitas . The name of the Hernici, like that of the Volsci, is missing from the list of Italian peoples whom Polybius describes as able to furnish troops in 225 BC; by that date, therefore, their territory cannot have been distinguished from Latium generally, and it seems probable that they had then received

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