Alba Fucens
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Alba Fucens: An ancient city in the Abruzzo near modern Albe. It is situated on an oblong hill overlooking the Piana del Fucino, and at the crossroads of two Roman roads. In 303 BC, a colony of 6,000 Romans was founded here on land formerly belonging to the Aequi. It remained an important Roman stronghold throughout the Samnite and Punic Wars. A number of defeated enemies of Rome (Syphax of Numidia, Perseus V of Macedonia, and Bituitus of Gaul) were exiled here. In the early 1st Century BC, Alba Fucens remained loyal to Rome during the Social War. Besieged by the Italian rebels, it was relieved by a Roman army in 89 BC. The town prospered for several centuries thereafter. Only in the 3rd Century AD, as the Roman Empire began to face serious economic and political instability, did Alba Fucens show signs of decline. Though a much poorer place, the town was still in existence in AD 537, Roman troops wintered there during the Roman-Gothic War. After this it disappears from history.
Alba Fucens is a rich archaeological site. The well-planned street grid network can still be clearly seen. Temples, fortification walls, baths, markets, basilicas, porticoes, an amphitheater, private homes, etc. can all be visited. Many artifacts, including bronze and marble statuary and inscriptions, from this site can be seen at the National Museum of the Abruzzi at Chieti.