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99-400: Today Altinum is an archaeological area and has a national archaeological museum . Altinum was a Venetic settlement. The earliest human presence in the area is dated to the 10th century BCE and is related to hunter gatherer groups. The earliest evidence of a settlement nucleus is dated from the mid-8th century to the mid-7th century BCE. In the 7th century BCE the settlement moved slightly to

198-413: A commercial port pre-Roman and Roman, and the exhibition, on the third floor, of the findings of the late antiquity. The archaeological area of Altinum is the archaeological reserve of the buried city, known in part through excavations and research from the nineteenth century onwards. As evidence of the ancient city, two archaeological sites can be visited, located about 500 metres (550 yd) away from

297-490: A grammarian (floruit late 4th century), wrote this about the lintres (small flat-bottomed boats): "Lintres: small river vessels. It is not without reason that [Virgil] remembers the lintres, because in most of Venetia, rich in rivers, every trade is carried out on lintres, such as in Ravenna and Altinum, where even hunting, fowling and the cultivation of the fields are carried out in the litres." Grattius Faliscus (63 BC – 14 AD)

396-552: A hub for trade between the Mediterranean Sea , north-eastern Italy and beyond the Alps. During the civil wars which followed the death of the emperor Nero (see Year of the four emperors , 69 AD), Marcus Antonius Primus , who supported Vespasian 's bid to depose Vitellius , advanced into Italy with his troops. Tacitus wrote that he occupied Aquileia and then he was "received with joy" at Opitergium ( Oderzo ) and Altinum and that

495-639: A military contingent was left in Altinum in case of an attack by the fleet in Ravenna. In 169, during the Marcomannic Wars (166-180 AD) the co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus were returning to Rome from the front in Pannonia . Lucius Verus was said to have been hit by apoplexy near Altinum. He got off his carriage bleeding and was taken to Altinum, where he died after three days of not been able to speak. Some modern scholars believe that he may have been

594-679: A peripheral but flourishing district, perhaps one of the most populous of the whole countryside." After the fall of the western part of the Roman Empire (conventional date 476 BCE), the Ostrogoths invaded Italy and established the Gothic Kingdom (493–553). The Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527-565) decided to annex Italy to the Byzantine Empire . This led to the Gothic War (535–554) between

693-634: A poet known for his Cynegeticon , a poem on hunting, wrote about types of woods to be used for hunting. He mentioned the pine wood and the broom from Altinum. Broom was used to make arrows. Regarding the Pectine nigerrimi cockles , Pliny the Elder wrote, "the pectine, the biggest ones and among them those more black in the summer are the most they are found at Mytilene , Tindari , Salona , Altinum …” In his treatise on agriculture ( De Re Rustica ), Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (4-70 CE) wrote, “For this use it

792-472: A priest. In a consolatory letter written to Heliodorus when Nepotianus died in 396, he mentioned that Altinum had many churches and martyr shrines and that the Nepotianus presbytery was adorned with flowers of all types, twigs and vine leaves. The cathedral (built in by 381) had two entrances shaded by curtains. It had an altar, shiny floors, walls which were not covered by smoke and an ancillary space related to

891-490: A road along the coast which connected Altinum to Atria directly. He also extended the navigable route inside the Septem Maria lagoons, to Altinum with the construction of a further canal, the fossa Clodia, thus connecting it to Ravenna. Although this internal route only allowed navigation by smaller vessels, it guaranteed communication even through the worse weather. This enhanced Altinum's strategic and commercial importance as

990-667: A short time. In December 2009, thanks to the intervention of the Veneto Region and funds allocated by the European Union for a total of 6 million euros, the restoration and restoration work resumed. On December 12, 2014, the new museum was inaugurated, but it remained open for only one single day. On 4 July 2015, the new seat of the Altino Archaeological Museum was definitively opened to the audience. Today it has about 1,800 m² of exhibition space (compared to 180 m² in

1089-401: A slightly earlier time. The quarry was later filled in by a settlement centred around a large building (13 m long and 6.75 m wide) with two internal asymmetric spans which must have supported a double pitched roof . Soon afterwards the narrower side was widened with a portico. It was active in the second half of the 8th century BCE and was abandoned in the first quarter of the 7th century BCE. It

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1188-599: A small group of followers, who committed suicide with him. After the battle Papus marched the combined armies into Liguria and the territory of the Boii to conduct punitive actions. Papus was awarded a triumph for his part in the victory, which ended forever the Celtic threat to the Roman capital. In 224 BC two Roman armies invaded the Celtic territories and forced the Boii to submit. In 223 and 222 BC further major Roman victories followed and

1287-515: A victim of the Antonine Plague . By the 4th century CE Altinum became the seat of a bishopric . The first bishop was Heliodorus of Altino (died c. 410), He accompanied St Jerome in his first trip to the East. When he returned he became the bishop of Altinum and attended the 381 CE anti- Arian Council of Aquileia in that capacity. Saint Jerome wrote letters to Heliodorus and his nephew Nepotianus,

1386-420: Is better to procure cows from Altinum, which the people of the area call “Ceve”. They are short and produce a great abundance of milk, it is for this reason that this breed is bred ...” He also wrote that while previous generations of farmers considered sheep from Calabria , Apulia and Mileto to be the best, in his days ”the breed form Gallia [northern Italy] best is considered the most valuable one, especially

1485-535: Is now. Human presence in the areas by the Adriatic coast continued in the subsequent millennia with late Mesolithic (6,500-5,500 BCE) hunter-gatherer groups. An early Neolithic site of farmers and grazers with artefacts typical of the cultures of central-northern Italy of this time has been found in the nearby Tessera. In Altinum artefacts dating from the Neolithic to the early Copper Age have been found. Starting from

1584-504: Is one of the oldest attestations of square plan buildings in the Veneto . It is derived from housing and productive prototypes found in Treviso , Oderzo and Concordia Sagittaria . In the next phase, after a brief period of abandonment, the site seems to have changed to a workshop area. There was a wooden well connected to a small canal system and a small furnace until the mid-7th century BCE. Thus,

1683-406: Is that this gave a final blow to the remnants of the town. However, archaeological investigations have disproved this notion. Although Attila's actions may well have further contributed to the decline of the town, Altinum overcame this and continued to exist for several centuries. The features of the coast of north-eastern Italy were changing. The Altinum area slowly became covered by sand brought by

1782-497: Is the race of wild mules.” Iliad II. 857) Strabo also noted that the Veneti paid honour to Diomedes by sacrificing a white horse. In Altinum there was a large number of horses buried in a sacrificial pit at the town's sanctuary and in the cemetery area to the north of the town. In the latter there were some thirty horses, whereas in other Veneti towns there were only a few, except for a cemetery exclusively devoted to some thirty horses to

1881-545: The Scaptia Roman tribe The town became a municipium , probably in 42-40 BCE. Velleius Paterculus wrote than in the run up to the final civil war of the Roman Republic (32-30 BCE) between Octavian (later known as emperor Augustus ) and Mark Antony , Gaius Asinius Pollio kept Venetia under Mark Antony's control for a long time with his seven legions and accomplished brilliant things near Altinum and other towns in

1980-603: The Alps . This is indicated by its location by the Santa Maria channel which connected it to the lagoon. Moreover, its votive deposits which had objects from Greece , Magna Graecia and the Etruscans in the plain of the River Po . Its function as an emporium is shown by inscriptions. These also show a male and military character due to the need to protect the traded goods. It was one of

2079-566: The Via Popilia , which connected Ariminum (modern Rimini ), Ravenna and Atria , was built. Thus, Altinum came to be connected overland to these important towns, facilitating the movement of goods. Again, its port increased in importance. Its inhabitants were granted Latin rights , a limited form of Roman citizenship , in 89 BCE and in the last decades of the Roman Republic , in 49 BCE, they acquired full Roman citizenship and were assigned to

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2178-414: The colony of Aquileia, in Celtic territory, as a fortress to protect northern Italy form invasions from the northeast and east was an important moment in the process of Romanisation of the Veneti and Altinum, which is traceable to the first half of the 2nd century BCE. Altinum came to be half way port and stopover between Ravenna and the new and important colony. Its port grew in size. This was also due to

2277-695: The Boii and the Insubres . This was deepened in 232 BC when the Romans passed a law allocating large areas of formally Celtic land to poorer citizens. These actions were recognised at the time as being provocative to the Celts and attracted some opposition because of it. In 225 BC, the Boii and Insubres paid large sums of money to the Gaesatae , mercenaries from Transalpine Celtic territories led by Aneroëstes and Concolitanus , to fight with them against Rome. The Romans, alarmed by

2376-531: The Byzantine commander in Altinum wrote to Childebert I , one of the kings of the Franks , attests that Altinum still had town walls. The move of the bishop of Torcello is assigned to the 5th century or within the 7th century. However, it followed a long and tortuous course which ended for good in the early 11th century. Marcus Valerius Martialis (Martial), the 1st century poet, wrote: "You banks of Altinum, that rival

2475-788: The Byzantines and the Ostrogoths, which was won by the former. Byzantine rule in northern Italy was short-lived as the Lombards invaded northern Italy (568-73) except for the lagoons of north-eastern coast of Italy. Altinum eventually came under the duchy of Treviso of the Kingdom of the Lombards (568–774). Narses , the Byzantine military commander in Italy in the final stage of the Gothic War, managed to capture Vitale,

2574-519: The Celtic mobilisation, made a treaty giving Carthaginian General Hasdrubal the Fair unimpeded control of Hispania so that they could concentrate on the threat closer to home. The Romans called upon their allies in Italy to supply troops. Consul Lucius Aemilius Papus had four legions of Roman citizens, 22,000 men in total, as well as 32,000 allied troops. He stationed the majority of his forces at Ariminum . He placed 54,000 Sabines and Etruscans on

2673-494: The Etrurian border met them at Clusium , three days march from Rome, where both sides made camp. That night, the Celts, leaving their cavalry and their camp fires as a decoy, withdrew to the town of Faesulae (modern Fiesole ) and built defensive obstacles. In the morning, the cavalry withdrew in full view of the Romans, who, thinking that the enemy were retreating, pursued them. The Celts gave battle from behind their defences and, with

2772-698: The Etruscan border under the command of a praetor , and sent 40,000 Umbrians , Sarsinates , Veneti , and Cenomani to attack the home territory of the Boii to distract them from the battle. The other consul, Gaius Atilius Regulus , had an army the same size as that of Papus but was stationed in Sardinia at the time. There was also a reserve of 21,500 citizens and 32,000 allies in Rome itself and one legion in each of Sicily and Tarentum . The Celts overran Etruria and began to march to Rome. The Roman troops who were stationed on

2871-485: The National Archaeological Museum of Altino and adjacent to AltinoLab, the former headquarters of the museum active from 1960 to 2015. One of the two areas preserves the remains of the monumental landing gate, which from the first century BC marks the northern entrance into the city, and an urban hinge that connected the gate with the town. In the other area it is possible to observe a small portion of

2970-452: The River Zero, close to the coast of the lagoon and to the east). This has led to the hypothesis that the earliest protohistoric settlement nucleus was close to the Santa Maria channel (see below). The earliest trace of human activity in Altinum is datable to the first half of the 8th century BCE. It is a simple quarry for fictile materials similar to those found in other Veneti centres dated to

3069-567: The Romans promoting sea trade in the upper Adriatic Sea The process of Romanisation was in part driven by the presence of Roman, Latin and Italic merchants attracted to this port by lucrative trade. Inscriptions attest an early presence the Publicia , Barbia , Cossutia and Saufeia families in Aquileia and Virunum (modern Magdalensberg ), a town in Noricum (in present-day Austria ) where there

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3168-479: The advantage of position, were victorious after a hard battle. Six thousand Romans were killed, and the rest fell back to a defensible hill. That night Papus arrived and made camp nearby. Aneroëstes persuaded the Celts to withdraw along the Etruscan coast with their booty and renew the war later when they were unencumbered. Papus pursued and harassed their rear but did not risk a pitched battle. The other Consul, Regulus, had crossed from Sardinia, landed at Pisa , and

3267-536: The area along the Po valley in northern Italy, since inconclusive skirmishing ceased in 238 BC. Indeed, when a force of Transalpine Celts had crossed the Alps into Italy in 230 BC, it had been the Boii of Cisalpine Gaul who had repelled them. The Romans had sent an army but found that it was not needed. However, when the Romans partitioned the formerly-Celtic territory of Picenum in 234 BC, they created resentment among its neighbours,

3366-705: The bishop of Altinum, which many years earlier had taken refuge in Aguntum in Noricum , near modern Lienz If there had been a partial withdrawal by Altinum's top clergy, this would have been during Gothic Wars . Paul the Deacon , the Lombard historian, wrote that the bishop of Altinum took part in the synod of Marano (590) during the Schism of the Three Chapters (553-698). A 590 letter

3465-400: The body of the army, their retreat causing disorder among their allies. The Insubres advanced to take their place while the velites were withdrawn and the Roman hastati advanced in maniples . The Insubres, Boii, and Taurisci held their ground tenaciously against these heavy infantry, and despite their superior arms the hastati could not break them. Eventually, the hastati were rotated back,

3564-456: The case of Altinum it moved to Torcello, which was on a fluvial channel through the lagoon which led to the open sea. Archaeological excavations in the inland towns and the lagoons have not revealed any sudden population movements and sharp population increases in the satellite ports or in Torcello as could be expected with an influx of refugees. The finds show that there was a gradual colonisation of

3663-517: The coast, are killed by the unfamiliar saltness. An instance of this may be found in the Gallic marshes which are round Altinum, Ravenna, Aquileia and other townships in like places which are nearest the marshes. For owing to these causes, they have an incredible salubrity.” This description fits the walls and canals system of Altinum. In his Commentary on the Georgics of Virgil , Maurus Servius Honoratus ,

3762-421: The communication routes along the rivers Adige and Piave in the major centres in the plain of the River Po ( Este and Padua and the Adriatic ports such as Atria , modern Adria , and Altinum). There was a trading relationship between high-ranking families. There was a degree of intermarriage. Some Celts settled in the region. Celtic gift and fashion objects appear in the burials of important families. In

3861-421: The district of the Veneti, which likewise experiences the tides of the sea. This is almost the only part of our sea [The Mediterranean] which is influenced in the same manner as the ocean, and, like it, has ebb and flood tides. In consequence most of the plain is covered with lagoons. The inhabitants have dug canals and dikes, after the manner of Lower Egypt, so that part of the country is drained and cultivated, and

3960-579: The draining of this marsh area in the early 20th century. Altinum is the only large Roman town in Northern Italy and one of the few in Europe where medieval towns were not built on top of them. This makes archaeological research easier and allows remote sensing surveys to be carried out. The finds of flint artefacts attributable to the sauveterrian culture have revealed the presence of hunter gatherer groups in 9500-6500 BCE. The wetland environment, which

4059-399: The earliest evidence of a settlement nucleus is dated from the mid-8th century to the mid-7th century BCE. Then the area was briefly unused before it was devoted to a sacred area. In the 7th century BCE the settlement moved slightly to the northwest, in its historical location. This is attested by aerial photography , stratigraphy and sample excavations below the ruins of the Roman town. It

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4158-621: The early 4th century BCE the Gauls invaded the plain of the Po as far as Verona . This led to a gradual ethnic mixing and loss of cultural identity, especially in the border areas of the Veneti; Verona in the west and the Lagoon of Venice and the Piave valley in the east. In some places there was at times a transition from the traditional practice of cremation to inhumation and the deposition of weapon in burials, which

4257-539: The excavations in the area in question, under the management of the Archaeological Superintendence, had been extremely low. Since 1966, however, numerous excavations have been carried out in the area of Via Annia, which brought to light more than 2000 finds of tombs and burial places. At the time of its inauguration the Museum had less than a thousand objects, while today there are more than 40,000 artifacts from

4356-459: The first section, on the ground floor of the former rice farm, there is a selection of finds that testify to the prehistoric occupation of the lagoon margin in which Altinum was built between the 10th and 2nd BC; in the second section, there is evidence of the development of the centre through the Iron Age (1st millennium BC) according to a thematic scan: religion, settlement, language and writing,

4455-535: The full Romanity (1st-3rd century AD), following once again a thematic criterion: the spatial and urban planning, roads, villas and domus, fashion and jewelry, characters, society, professions, trade. Here you will find some of the most significant objects of daily life of the Roman Altino: the gold necklace made in Taranto (datable between the end of 2nd and 1st century BC), the glass murrini, marble portraits that decorated

4554-483: The full tides it is washed by a considerable quantity of sea-water, as well as by the river, and thus the sewage is carried off, and the air purified … It is a remarkable peculiarity of this place, that, though situated in the midst of a marsh, the air is perfectly innocuous … Another remarkable peculiarity is that of its vines, which, though growing in the marshes, make very quickly and yield a large amount of fruit, but perish in four or five years. Altinum stands likewise in

4653-484: The funeral monuments of the richest, but also toys for children and leather soles of the shoes of the ancient altinatians. The second floor, not yet set up, will host a section on the altered Roman necropolises and one on the late antique history of the city. The exhibition will be completed by a section dedicated to the emporical sanctuary in Fornace, the discovery of which highlighted the important role played by Altino as

4752-462: The hill. As soon as they realised that they faced a second full Roman army they deployed their infantry facing both front and rear. They placed the Gaesatae and Insubres at the rear against Papus and the Boii and Taurisci at the front against Regulus, with their flanks protected by a wall of wagons and chariots. A small force guarded the booty on another hill nearby. The cavalry battle over the main hill

4851-619: The importance of the upper Adriatic Sea . The town benefited from infrastructure commissioned by the emperor Claudius . In 46 CE he opened a branch of the Via Claudia Augusta from Altinum to Tridentum (today's Trento ) in the Italian Alps . Drusus had started its construction in 15 AD. It connected Hostiglia (today's Ostiglia ), on the River Po , to the " limes " at the Danube in southern Germany via Tridentum . Claudius also build

4950-472: The inland centres and the Alps via the rivers Sile and Piave . For information related to Altinum's contacts with Celtic groups see the Pre-Roman Altinum section above. Until the 1990s it was thought that the origins of Altinum were dated to the 7th century BCE. More recently, a burial attributable to the late Bronze Age was found. It was contemporary to other materials found in the nearby areas (by

5049-471: The island of Torcello (see above). The bishops of Torcello stressed their Altinum lineage and retained the juridical title of bishop of Altinum for centuries. The monks of the monastery of Santo Stefano moved to the Tumba Leseda island (nowadays it is called La Salina) in the archipelago of the settlement of Ammiana in 900. They established the monastery of Santi Felice e Fortunato. Both settlements were in

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5148-517: The lagoon, 450–500 years later and contributed to the development of a new city, Venice . Thus, according to the tradition, which is still deeply ingrained, the origins of Venice are related to the destruction of Altinum by Attila, its demise and the refugees who fled from this town. The invasion of northern Italy by the Lombards in 568, which spared the lagoons of the north-western coast of Italy, which were under Byzantine influence, has also been held responsible for this demise. The implicit assumption

5247-497: The lagoons, a slow shift over centuries which had already started in the Roman days. Besides the slowly developing troubles of the inland ports, the trend was also favoured by economic changes and new economic opportunities, such as fish farming and salt production. Agriculture played a secondary but fundamental role in favouring new stable settlements through intensive cultivation of limited land areas, which were probably uncultivated. If so, they could be used by military elites who had

5346-456: The land, forms deep channels in its course: hence it is that, although a portion of its stream is drawn off by rivers and canals between Ravenna and Altinum, for a space of 120 [Roman] miles , still, at the spot where it discharges the vast body of its waters, it is said to form seven seas … and … “The next mouth [of the Po] … the [Etruscans] formerly made from Sagis, thus drawing the impetuous stream of

5445-515: The late 6th century BCE and developed in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. Dedicative inscriptions in Venetic language and alphabet indicate that it was dedicated to Arno or Altinum, a god of the Veneti . Thus, the town was named after this god. It had a commercial role, the protection of the trade in local agricultural and manufacturing goods and horses and the imports from the Mediterranean Sea and form beyond

5544-483: The main pre-Roman sanctuaries in the region. National Archaeological Museum of Altino The National Archaeological Museum of Altino (in italian: Museo archeologico nazionale di Altino, MANA) is an archaeology museum next to the archaeological site of Altinum . It is located in the frazione Altino of the municipality of Quarto d'Altino , in the Metropolitan City of Venice . The museum, which preserves

5643-501: The marshes, its situation being very similar to that of Ravenna." In his description of the Veneto Region, Pliny the Elder , the 1st century BCE and CE naturalist, wrote that the River Sile flows from the hills of Treviso to Altinum. Regarding the River Po , he wrote, "There is no river known to receive a larger increase than this in so short a space; so much so indeed that it is impelled onwards by this vast body of water, and, invading

5742-437: The means for productive and, above all, infrastructural investment. In Torcello, embankments were built to protect the island. Mooring facilities and warehouses were built to service sea trade. Calaon argues that archaeology shows that the bishop of Torcello, a landowning aristocrat, built his church in Torcello "not so much because he feared barbarian raids, but because he had made a strategic choice. He chose to place his see in

5841-570: The mid- Bronze Age (1600 BCE), there was a colonisation of the plain of the River Po and central-eastern Veneto. A late Bronze Age (1300-1000 BCE) subapennine culture (1350-1150 BCE) site has been found to the northeast of Altinum. There have been finds dated to this period on the Siloncello canal very close to Altinum (to the northeast) and in the town. A settlement on sandy mounds close to the River Sile

5940-469: The more experienced principes taking their place. They started to grind down the determined Celtic foot, but the latter still refused to break. Finally the victorious Roman cavalry rode down from the hill and crashed into the flank of the exhausted Celtic infantry. They were slaughtered where they stood, their cavalry having taken to flight earlier. Around 40,000 Celts were killed and 10,000, including Concolitanus, taken prisoner. Aneroëstes escaped with

6039-503: The most representative archaeological finds of Altinum, and the nearby archaeological site of Altino are included in the UNESCO World Heritage site " Venice and its lagoon ". At the end of the 1950s the construction of the museum began, based on a project by the architect Ferdinando Forlati, to collect the finds found at the end of the 19th century during agricultural work and during the first excavations of 1936-1937. Initially

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6138-459: The nature of those places gives colour to the wool." The 301 Edict on Maximum Prices issued by the emperor Diocletian assigned the wool of Altinum a rather high price (200 denarii per pound). It also assigned a pay of 30 denarii per pound to the workers who made wool in Tarentum, Laodicea and Altinum. By the 10th century, the area of Altinum was totally abandoned. The bishop of Altinum moved to

6237-478: The necropolis (with reconstructions of some Venetian, Celtic and Romanized burials), up to the imposing tombs of horses with, next to it, the exposure of the relative harnesses, pieces of great value as they are rather rare. The first floor is dedicated to the transformations of the center of Altinum documented through the centuries that led the indigenous settlement to the Romanization (2nd-1st century BC) and then

6336-454: The new director of the museum is the archaeologist Mariolina Gamba. Because of the growing number of finds, it was decided to expand the museum and in 1984 the Italian national government acquired two buildings (part of a 19th century farm used for rice production) in the locality of "Fornace", not far from the first museum. However, due to lack of funds, the restoration work was interrupted after

6435-408: The northern part of the Lagoon of Venice (San Tommaso dei Bognomi, San Giacomo in Paludo, Vignole and Sant'Erasmo ). A land path with a fort equipped with wooden elements has also been traced Ca’ Tron and Portegrandi, to the northeast of Altinum. It preceded the via Annia. It might have connected these two coastal centres to other coastal centres on the Adriatic Sea from the 11th century on and to

6534-448: The northern part of the Lagoon of Venice. Documentation about the area in this period is scant and comes mostly from ecclesiastic institutions (the monasteries of Santi Felice e Fortunato and of San Giorgio Maggiore and the bishop of Torcello) or to families which owned land in the area (the Carbonara, Collalto, Marcello and Querini). A 1095 text attested the existence of an Altino Maiore and an Altino Pitulo, which indicates that there

6633-455: The northwest, in its historical location. A sacred area which is dated to the late 6th century BCE and developed in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE had votive offering objects from Greek , Magna Graecian , Etruscan and Celtic areas. This suggests that Altinum was the main port of the Veneti in the proto-historical age. Archaeology indicates that in the late 6th/early 5th century BC, the Veneti had precocious contact with Celtic areas through

6732-415: The objects were kept at Villa Reali in Dosson (Treviso). The small museum, built by the Superintendence and Count Jacopo Marcello, was inaugurated on 29 May 1960 and consisted of two rooms, one of which was used as an exhibition space divided into two rooms, the other as a warehouse of archaeological finds; in the outer porch are exposed some tombstones. Until then, the number and above all the importance of

6831-444: The old headquarters, now used as a warehouse) on the three floors of the former rice farm, a barchessa and a new modern structure (designed by architect Stefano Filippi) with an observation tower over the surrounding countryside and the lagoon of Venice. The spaces for restoration, cataloguing and creation of reproductions and photographs have been created, together with a book-shop and a cafeteria, but have not yet been activated. In

6930-443: The one from Altinum.” Sheep grazing was important in the Roman days as people wore woollen clothes. Regarding white wool, Martial wrote, "Apulia is noted for fleeces of the first quality; Parma for those of the second. The sheep whose wool is of the third quality distinguishes Altinum." Tertullian 155 – c. 240? BCE) mentioned "... the sheep of Mileto, Selegas , Altinum, or those for which Tarentum or Baetica are renowned, because

7029-444: The other towns in the Veneto region, begun to decline. However, it retained a prominent role. The Codex Theodosianus (Theodosian Code), a compilation of Roman laws under the Christian emperors from 312 to the 430s commissioned was by Theodosius II and Valentinian III in 429 and published in 438, records sixteen laws that were issued by emperors in Altinum, especially between 364 and 399. It also provides evidence that emperors in

7128-519: The region were destroyed in 452 by Attila the Hun. According to the Chronicon Venetum et Gradense , the earliest Venetian chronicle, written by John the Deacon in the mid- 10th and early 11th century, refugees from Altinum fled to Torcello and other islands in the northern part of the Lagoon of Venice . Some of the inhabitants of these islands moved the island group of Rivo alto, in the central part of

7227-554: The region. He then joined Mark Antony. This was in 42-40 BCE. Pollio Asinius was either the last governor or the Venetia region of Roman Italy or a member of a commission charged with distributing land to war veterans. With his legions he was able was able to give the towns in Venetia administrative autonomy by giving them the status of municipia without much trouble. It is likely that by saying that Asinius Pollio accomplished brilliant things ("magnis speciosisque rebus"), Velleius Paterculus

7326-498: The residential district, which was an urban expansion at the beginning of the first century AD. A stretch of urban road, paved with stone bases and bordered by crepidines , is particularly striking for its extraordinary state of conservation; on this road faces the domus of the Panther, so called because of the black and white mosaic in the atrium , which shows the animal while drinking. Battle of Telamon The Battle of Telamon

7425-450: The rest is navigable. Some of their cities stand in the midst of water like islands, others are only partially surrounded. Such as lie above the marshes in the interior are situated on [navigable rivers] …. continually swelled by the rains and snows." Strabo also described Ravenna and Altinum, "Situated in the marshes is the great [city of] Ravenna, built entirely on piles, and traversed by canals, which you cross by bridges or ferry-boats. At

7524-585: The river across into the marshes of the Atriani, which they call the Seven Seas; and upon which is the noble port of Atria …” By invading the land Pliny meant floods. The seven seas (Septem Maria) was the series of lagoons which the emperor Clausius connected to Altinum (see above). Atria is now modern Adria . Vitruvius , the 1st century BCE Roman architect, wrote about laying out the ground in marsh areas. “… if in marshes walls are laid out, and these marshes are along

7623-519: The rural beauties of Baiae, … and you, Aquileia … You shall be the haven and the resting-places of my old age, if my retirement be at my own disposal." Baiae was a popular seaside resort in the Bay of Naples which was very fashionable among rich Romans. Strabo , the 1st century BCE geographer, gave a description of northern Italy and the Veneto, "The whole of this country is full of rivers and marshes, especially

7722-541: The sacristy. St Jerome described Altinum as "a populous centre whose buildings were close to each other and many hearths which darkened the air with thick smog." Today Altinum is no longer a residential diocese . It is listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see . The Apex of Altinum's flourishing period was from the 1st century BCE to 2nd century CE. Its size was comparable to that of Pompeii . A decrease in archaeological finds suggests that after this, Altinum, like

7821-401: The sea which turned into mud, starting from the Roman imperial period. Generally, the inland Roman towns, from Grado to Ravenna, were becoming less and less suited as ports. There was a shift from single ports controlled by the imperial authorities to peripheral ports in satellite areas along new river routes most probably controlled by new investors and ship owners. Trade moved these places. In

7920-506: The sea, and they look towards the north or between the north and east, and these marshes are higher than the sea coast, they will seem to be reasonably laid out. For if dykes are cut, there is made an outlet of water to the beach; and when the sea is swollen by storms, there is an overflow into the marshes, which being stirred and moved about and mixed with sea salt, does not permit the various kind of marsh creatures to be born there: moreover, those which, by swimming from higher parts, arrive near

8019-467: The second half of the 4th century often stayed in this town and that the imperial chancellery regularly worked there between 364 and 406. An early 5th century revision of the Tabula Peutingeriana , an illustrated itinerarium of the Roman Empire, had a symbol depicting Altinum as a town with two towers, which represented it as an important and populous town. Altinum and other towns and villages in

8118-524: The south of Este . There burials are dated to the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. Evidence of sacrifice at the sanctuary continues into the Roman imperial period. Here the remains of some twenty horses were found alongside those of bovines, sheep, goats and pigs. The ritual offerings were the heads or parts of hindlegs or tails which were disarticulated, skinned and fleshed. Sketches of headless horses or body parts confirm this animal's key role in religious cults. Archaeological finds indicate that Altinum's perimeter

8217-468: The stones from Altinum through the search of inscriptions from the Roman age. In the second half of the 19th century Theodor Mommsen aimed at cataloguing the entire body of Latin epigraphy in Venice. Under the Altinum entry he collected and translated 181 inscriptions. Many were of uncertain provenance and only a small part is securely identifiable. Archaeological studies started to develop mainly after

8316-425: The surrounding archaeological areas of Altino, in the middle of which is the museum. Some parts of the collection, such as inscriptions, funerary stelae or glass finds, single archaeological studies have been carried out and specialised exhibitions are being organised. First director of the museum was the archaeologist Michele Tombolani (1943-1989), replaced in 1987 by the archaeologist Margherita Tirelli. From 2015

8415-492: The town and a temple close to the Santa Maria channel which was restructured in a monumental form from a 5th-century BCE wooden structure. (See the "Port and canals" section for Altinum's canals) In 225 BCE the Veneti and Romans established an alliance treaty in the run up of the Battle of Telamon between Rome and an alliance between the Insubres and Boii Gallic tribes of northern Italy and Gaesatae mercenaries. The foundation of

8514-481: Was abandoned in the early Bronze Age due to marine ingression . Aegean pottery was found on the islands of Torcello and Mazzorbo . These were probably along a sea trade route form the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean to the Altinum area between the 9th and 7th centuries BCE. This route continued to be used in the Iron Age , as attested by the finds of Attic pottery in these two islands and other islands in

8613-502: Was an exception to Veneti funerary culture. An example of this was found in a cemetery in Altinum. Such evidence suggests that inter-ethnic relations went beyond just trade and that there were clusters of foreign settlers. Perhaps they were traders, workers and/or mercenaries. Strabo gave indications of the social, economic and ritual importance of horses and horse breeding among the pre-Roman Veneti. He wrote that they bestowed attention on horse rearing “which, though now entirely abandoned,

8712-543: Was fierce, and although Papus sent his horsemen to assist Regulus was killed and his head brought to the Celtic leaders. Eventually, however, the Roman equites defeated their Gallic counterpart and secured possession of the hill. Meanwhile the Roman velites advanced against the Celtic foot from both directions, throwing volleys of javelins. This was particularly devastating to the Gaesatae, fighting naked as they were with narrow shields. Some of them rushed wildly at these skirmishers and were slaughtered. Others withdrew into

8811-456: Was formerly in great esteem among them, resulting from the ancient rage for breeding mules, which Homer thus mentions: “ From the [Ve]neti for forest mules renowned." It was here that Dionysius , the tyrant of Sicily , kept his stud of race-horses. And, in consequence, the [Veneti] horses were much esteemed in Greece, and their breed in great repute for a long period.” (Homer actually wrote “whence

8910-426: Was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Celtic tribes in 225 BC . The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus , defeated the Celts led by the Gaesatae kings Concolitanus and Aneroëstes . This removed the Celtic threat from Rome and allowed the Romans to extend their influence over northern Italy. Rome had been at peace with the tribes of Cisalpine Gaul ,

9009-483: Was iron mining. These were families of equestrian rank (the Roman entrepreneurial class). They went to Aquileia from central Italy and from there they spread to the northern markets, including Altinum. Sometime between 153 and 131 BCE the Via Annia was built. It connected Atria (modern Adria ) to Aquileia . It passed through Patavium ( Padua ) and then it run close to the coast and passed through Altinum. In 131 BC

9108-463: Was marching towards Rome. His scouts met the Celts' advance guard head on near Telamon (modern Talamone ), in an area called Campo Regio . Regulus put his troops in fighting order and advanced with his cavalry in an attempt to occupy a hill above the road which would block the Celts' retreat. The Celts, unaware of Regulus' arrival, assumed that Papus had sent some of his troopers ahead and so sent some of their own horsemen and light infantry to contest

9207-402: Was marked by waterways beyond which there were cemetery areas. The abundance of watercourses gives the picture of a town deeply tied to water which was characteristic of towns in the Veneto . The transformation of Altinum from a Veneti to a Roman town started with the reorganisation of its marshy environment through the regulation of its waters and the expansion of its canal network. The main work

9306-444: Was named San Michele del Quarto after a small church which was four Roman miles from Altinum. After Altinum was abandoned there was a gradual despoliation of its buildings and cemetery stones for use as building materials in Torcello and other islands in the lagoon and in the future Venice because there was a lack of building materials in the lagoon. The 16th century humanists and subsequent antiquarians and scholars traced some of

9405-409: Was on a man-made mound. Two sacred areas have been found in diametrically opposite locations to the north and to the south of the settlement. The first one was identified indirectly through the find of a fragment of an altar with an inscription dedicated to the god Belatukadro. The second one was found during the restructuring works of the museum area and was excavated from 1997 to 2000. It is dated to

9504-413: Was referring to Asinius allocating land to veterans near Altinum and Patavium and founding the colony of Iula Concordia (modern Oderzo ) which Julius Caesar had probably planned but not accomplished. Sometime between 31 and 12 BCE, Octavian established Ravenna's harbour as one of the home ports for his new navy. It became one of the main Roman military ports and this favoured Altinum as it increased

9603-457: Was rich in vegetation due to water courses fed by melting ices and springs in the plain made up for the survival difficulties created by the hot and arid climate of the late boreal age . The finds of shells and sea molluscs suggest the use of food resources of the coastal environment. In those days the Lagoon of Venice had not formed yet and the coastline was a few kilometres further inland than it

9702-461: Was still a village and that it may have split into two parts. The text also indicates that the churches of Santa Maria (the old cathedral), San Martino e Sant'Apollinare still existed. In 1388 when the Republic of Venice annexed the Treviso area, which reached the mainland shore of the Lagoon of Venice, wealthy Venetians founded an agricultural village close to the shore and to the site of Altinum. It

9801-521: Was the digging of the Silocello canal to link the River Sile (which was to the north of the town) to the channel which today is called Santa Maria and which flowed to the south of the town from the River Dese to the lagoon. The most important architectural finds are a town gate on the canal which marked the northern edge of the town, another public building which faced the canal which marked the southern edge of

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