Tarracina
Tarracina, known in antiquity as Anxur, is a historic city located in the region of Latium (Lazio), approximately 65 miles south of Rome. Perched on a high hill overlooking the sea, the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with a complex history influenced by various cultures, including the Etruscans and the Volsci. The Romans captured the town around 406 BC, establishing it as a strategic colony along the Via Appia, which connected Rome to the southern regions of Italy. The city is notable for its impressive Temple of Jupiter Anxur, a significant religious site that showcases Roman architectural grandeur.
Throughout its history, Tarracina played a role in various military and political events, including battles against the Latins and civil unrest during the Roman Empire. The town saw developments under emperors like Trajan and Antoninus Pius, who worked to improve the area by draining marshes and expanding the harbor. Archaeological findings in and around Tarracina reveal remnants of Roman infrastructure, including an amphitheater, aqueducts, and luxurious villas, indicating its importance as a cultural and administrative center during ancient times. Today, Tarracina is recognized for its rich historical legacy and continues to attract visitors interested in its archaeological and architectural heritage.
Subject Terms
Tarracina
formerly Anxur (Terracina)
A city in Latium (Lazio), on the border of Campania, sixty-five miles south of Rome, situated on a high hill beside the sea. The site was occupied in prehistoric times. The legend of a Spartan foundation is fictitious. Strabo derives the name from trachys (rough), but it is rather to be connected with Tarquinii, denoting Etruscan settlement, or with the Tarquins, indicating influence exerted by the Etruscan royal dynasty at Rome. However, the town was subsequently taken over by an Italian people, the Volsci, who named it Anxur and built fortifications against the Romans. Nevertheless, the Romans captured the stronghold c 406, captured it for a second time after a rebellion, and established a citizen colony in 329, designed to defeat the coast and hold the Lautulae pass that ran between the Ausonian mountains and the sea. A decisive battle against the Latins was won in the neighborhood fifteen years later.
Tarracina became a station on the Via Appia from Rome to the south (312), and received munificent attention from the dictator Sulla in the early first century. The emperor Galba was born there in 3 BC. During the civil wars of AD 69 Vitellius' brother Lucius crushed a naval rebellion at the port, and massacred the rebels. Trajan (98–117) and Antoninus Pius (138–61) revived earlier attempts to drain the nearby Pomptine (Pontine) Marshes, expanding the lower town of Tarracina—which became the southern terminal of the canal constructed for this purpose—and enlarging its harbor.
The early Roman settlement was a quadrangular camp defended by a powerful wall with round towers and a strongly fortified gate, with barracks on three sides. Below the open south flank of the fortress Sulla added a monumental arcaded terrace for the temple of Jupiter Anxur, enlarged by cutting into the hill at the back. Situated on the edge of a lofty cliff overlooking the sea, this was one of the greatest shrines in Italy. Its pseudo-peripteral exterior (i.e. with a continuous outer ring of columns, some of which were engaged) displayed six columns on the front above the steps, and two on either side of the porch.
The town lay west of the temple on the remaining part of the hilltop. The original Via Appia served as the main longitudinal street. The edge of the forum, facing the sea, is supported by a huge substructure of arches. A triple Capitolium dates from c 40 BC, replacing a much earlier building. Trajan brought the Via Appia down into the lower town, which mostly dates from the second and third centuries AD, although the amphitheater is somewhat earlier. Two bathing establishments have been uncovered, three aqueducts have left traces, and there are remains of numerous villas in the neighborhood; some of these mansions are equipped with a multiplicity of terraces, and date from the second century BC. A sanctuary of the goddess Feronia (visited by Horace) stood at the foot of Mount Leano three miles from the city.