Altinum

Altinum was a city in northeastern Italy, in the lagoon of Venice, probably BC was already in the 8th century, and which has two cemeteries. Their heyday was the city during the Roman period, when they had about 20,000 inhabitants. It was partially abandoned in the 5th and 6th centuries after the raids of the Huns and the Lombards, and is considered one of the previous settlements of Venice. It was finally abandoned after 900

At the since 2007 under the direction of Padua Paolo Mozzi archaeologists and geographers Andrea Ninfo after the analysis of aerial photographs again researched archaeological site museum, headed by Margherita Tirelli already created on the basis of previous findings. It is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Altino.

Meanwhile, the city is with an area of ​​around 100 hectares than the largest ancient city in northern Italy and is compared by Mozzi with Pompei. However, currently only geophysical studies and several holes were held, such as at the city wall. The archaeological heritage should first be secured.

Location

The well-preserved foundations of Altinum lie north of the airport of Venice under about 100 acres of arable land near Quarto d' Altino. Two to three feet higher than the surrounding swampy bay area offered the favorable settlement area and was inhabited at least six centuries before they came to the Roman Empire. The ancient city was surrounded by rivers and canals, including a large channel that ran through the city and linked them to the lagoon.

History

End of the 2nd century BC, the region became Roman. From 131 BC the Via Annia, which Hadria with Patavium and from there came eastward over Altinum and Concordia with Aquileia Association. Probably the Via Popilia reached the city. The two roads overcame dams on the lagoon that surrounded the city.

Between 89 and 49 BC began the increased urbanization after the inhabitants of the region had received full citizenship and out of town a municipium had become.

Your greatest extent reached the city in the 1st century, their heyday was between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD In the 1st century the pomerium the city covered an area of 120 ha Numerous finds of weights for Looms suggest that there may be a larger scale wool was produced and processed, especially Martial highlighting the local wool. The same means, the villas of Altinum could with those of Baiae measure ( Mart. 4.25 ). Given the importance of the city, it is perhaps no coincidence that Lucius Verus, co-emperor of Marcus Aurelius spent the last years of his life here. From the 2nd century, a decline can be seen, which probably also had environmental causes and in the 3rd century fortified.

As the first bishop applies Heliodorus ( † after 404), who took office in late 4th century. However, the environment of the city began to stagnate since the 3rd century, the port of the city was increasingly unusable.

Altinum 452 was destroyed by Attila's troops. Following the Venetian historiography, as established refugees from Altino settlement on Torcello.

The first wave of the Lombard conquest from 568/69 could withstand the city, but fell to the new rulers of northern Italy a few years later. 590 managed a joint venture of Swiss francs and Byzantines to retake the city. First, Altinum seat of the provincial administration, however, was now shrunk to the narrow coastal strip.

The Bishop of Altino seat was transferred to the easier to be protected island of Torcello, the bishop Maurus however retained the title of bishop of Altinum. 639/640 Lombards conquered the city, the population fled to the island. 639 began to Torcello, the construction of the church of Santa Maria Assunta.

The archaeological investigations showed, firstly, that the Lombards the city is not inhabited, but that it was colonized again by Byzantines. However, this was a much reduced scale. On the other hand showed that, built on Torcello island had a special feature that you usually only two forts known in Altinum: Its foundation rests exception, not the usual, the underground driven wood piles and a Schwellrost, but the eight columns church as well as their front store on stone slabs, which in turn rest on bricks and offset with lime and sand mortar. Between these blocks of columns channels were derived, which were filled with sand and ceramic shards. It is this situation could react due to their porosity to the highly fluctuating moisture content of the subsoil, making a kind of drainage system was built, the buildings allowed on ground that was unsuitable for this purpose.

Since the Langobardem at this time also conquered Oderzo ( Opitergium ), the Byzantine rule reduced finally to the islands in the lagoon. The seat of the provincial government went to Heraclea, the population of Altinum moved to Torcello. Well 643 battle was fought at the Scultenna, in the Lombard troops Exarch Isaac ( 624/25-643 ) proposed, and in Byzantium to Paul the Deacon 8,000 men lost.

899/900 Hungarian looters reached the lagoon and destroyed the city, whose remains are in the area of the village of San Michele del Quarto. Even a certificate of Otto I of 13 July 960 calls the Strait of Altino over Concordia to Aquileia "via Ungarorum ".

The area, including the city was completely abandoned, only bonuses of the 20th century allowed back agricultural use. However, the ruined city was used for several centuries as a quarry until it was covered with alluvium.

Waterways

Altinum likely to have been surrounded by a shallow lagoon. In the first century it was possible to waterways, canals and so on through the lagoon of Venice, Ravenna reach Altinum. The fossa Clodia that reached Chioggia, and the boats allowed the passing of Pellestrina Poveglia and the old Malamocco, let the traffic of Ravenna along these waterways S. Pietro di Castello, Murano, San Giacomo in Paludo and Torcello up to Altino about. Port structures with two magazines (?), Who measured 47 times 42 times 46 and 50 m, were found near Treporti (Canal Scanello ). In this case, the abandoned in the 10th century and now lies on the mainland Altino was surrounded in the early Middle Ages by the shallow lagoon waters overcame the Roman roads to dams.

Research

The ruins of the city were never built on, and therefore remained in the state of the early Middle Ages. It is unclear how pieces from the area of the theater could go to the museum back in the 1950s. The University of Venice, Ca 'Foscari, concentrated their archaeological activities from 1997, among other things, Altino and graduated in 1999 a corresponding thereto agreement with the competent Superintendence per i Beni Archeologici del Veneto. This included the establishment of an excavation school. Five publications dealing with the proceeds of the excavations, including one to the cultic institutions along the Via Annia with a focus Alinate. Assistance was provided from 2007 to 2010 by the project Via Annia, which is supported by Arcus, the Veneto Region and the Municipality of Padua, and by several municipalities along the ancient road. Coordinator was Francesca Veronese.

Aerial archaeologist made ​​in the particularly dry summer of 2007 images in the visible and infrared range. They were able to obtain detailed information about the road map and many buildings. A team of geomorphologists the University of Padua evaluated the photos. On buildings city walls, a theater, an odeon, a more than 60 m long Basilica and a forum with temples were detected. Other areas show a grid of streets with residential development as well as two channels that ran through the city. In its heyday, the city was little more than twice as big as Pompeii, which covered 44 ha. These recordings stimulated research on strong, so that even the tourism industry more attention was drawn to the Via Annia and the local venues.