Lanuvium
Lanuvium is an ancient city located in the Latium region of Italy, specifically at the southern edge of the Alban Hills, approximately twenty miles southeast of Rome. According to mythology, the city was founded by the Greek hero Diomedes. Historically, Lanuvium was an independent member of the Latin League and participated in significant treaties with Rome, notably the Cassian Treaty around 493 BC. Following the dissolution of the League in 338 BC, Lanuvium was granted Roman citizenship and became a municipium.
The city has notable historical figures, including the famous actor Quintus Roscius Gallus and the controversial politician Titus Annius Milo. Lanuvium experienced turmoil during the Civil Wars but regained prosperity during the Roman Empire, notably as the birthplace of Emperor Antoninus Pius. Significant archaeological remains can be found on the acropolis, including a citadel with a tufa wall, a temple associated with the goddess Juno Sospita, and remains of Roman villas, potentially linked to Antoninus Pius. The city's rich history and archaeological significance make it a point of interest for both historians and visitors alike.
Subject Terms
Lanuvium
(Lanuvio) in Latium (Lazio, western Italy)
An ancient Latin city at the southern extremity of the Alban Hills, nearly twenty miles southeast of Rome. According to mythology, the place owed its foundation to Diomedes. An independent member of the Latin League, Lanuvium participated in the Cassian Treaty between the Latin communities and Rome (c 493). When the Romans dissolved the League (338), they granted Lanuvium Roman citizenship as a municipium. The famous actor Quintus Roscius Gallus, a client of Cicero, came from its territory, and another of his clients Titus Annius Milo, the gangster politician who murdered his political enemy Publius Clodius Pulcher, was a native and municipal official (dictator) of Lanuvium. The city suffered, according to Appian, in the Civil Wars, but resumed its prosperity during the Principate, when it was the birthplace of the emperor Antoninus Pius (86).
Its most important remains are to be found on the acropolis, to the north of the ancient (and modern) town. This citadel was surrounded by a tufa wall; its gates, one embellished by a marble equestrian group (partly preserved), were guarded by substantial ramparts. There are also traces of a temple, revealing three successive constructional phases (c 500, c 300 and third century BC). This may be the famous shrine of Juno Sispes (Sospita) Mater Regina, in whose cult Rome participated; the goddess is depicted, wearing a goatskin cloak, holding a shield and hurling a spear, and accompanied by a snake, on the coins of Roman Republican moneyers, who are probably of Lanuvian origin. Not far from the acropolis are the remains of a number of Roman villas, one of which is conjecturally identified with the home of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–61).