Ricerc@Sapienza

The research on Peltuinum, which began years ago with a focus on the Roman city layout through excavations, is now an all-round investigation of the society and its architectural and landscape context over a long period of time.
After a brief excavation activity in the 1980s, since 2000 Sapienza has resumed investigations with didactic excavation campaigns (included in the Grandi Scavi Sapienza), achieving decidedly significant results through multidisciplinary interventions, above all in more recent years.
The goal now is to make use of the important results achieved through stratigraphic excavation to focus on the transformation dynamics of a population far from the megalopolises.
Peltuinum is a town founded in the 1st c. BC in central Apennines (now in the prov. of L'Aquila) to manage the movement of flocks between Sabina and Apulia. Transhumance created a considerable commercial activity, so the city reaped the benefits of the interest of various emperors, until a series of seismic events of high intensity caused its abandonment in the 5th c. AD. The in-depth analysis of the documents coming from archaeology and from topographical and geological survey have shed more light on a number of issues, such as urbanism, architecture, bio-archaeology, burial rites, economic history, seismic history, affecting studies into the ancient world in broader terms.
Investigating on Peltuinum exemplifies the concept of going from micro-history to macro-history.
Summarising, the data provided by the research are an important addition to the historical-archaeological knowledge of the communities of central Italy, at a time when such contexts are recognised as being of objective importance. The research project has a positive impact on the local ecosystem, as it acts as an attraction point for a landscape, today's Piana di Navelli, of great natural value. In synergy with the local authorities, regular activities are carried out to disseminate the cultural values of the area.