Editing Fidenae

{{Short description|Ancient town of Latium}}
'''Fidenae''' ({{langx|grc|Φιδῆναι}}) was an ancient town of [[Latium]], situated about 8&nbsp;km north of [[Rome]] on the ''[[Via Salaria]]''. Its inhabitants were known as '''Fidenates'''. As the Tiber was the border between [[Etruria]] and [[Latium]], the left-bank settlement of Fidenae represented an extension of Etruscan presence into Latium. The site of the [[Arx (Roman)|arx]] of the ancient town was probably on the hill on which lies the contemporary [[Villa Spada]], though no traces of early buildings or defences are to be seen; pre-Roman tombs are in the cliffs to the north. The later village lay at the foot of the hill on the eastern edge of the high-road, and its ''[[curia]]'', with a dedicatory inscription to [[Marcus Aurelius]] by the ''Senatus Fidenatium'', was excavated in 1889. Remains of other buildings may also be seen.<ref>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Fidenae|volume=10|page=320}}</ref>
[[File:Latium -5th Century map-en.svg|thumb|300px|right|Map showing the location of Fidenae.]]

==History==

===Conflicts with the Roman kingdom===
Originally a settlement of [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]],<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri|Ab urbe condita]]'', [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19725/19725-h/19725-h.htm#a15 1:15]</ref> it was at the frontier of Roman territory and occasionally changed hands between Rome and [[Veii]].

In the 8th century BC during the reign of [[Ancient Rome|Rome's]] first king, [[Romulus]], the Fidenates and the Veientes were [[Roman-Etruscan Wars#War with Fidenae and Veii under Romulus|defeated]] in a war with Rome, according to legend.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19725/19725-h/19725-h.htm#a14 1:14–15]</ref>  It may be that a colony was established there after the defeat as [[Livy]] afterwards describes Fidenae as a Roman colony.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19725/19725-h/19725-h.htm#a27 1:27]</ref>

Fidenae and Veii were [[Roman-Etruscan Wars#Second War with Fidenae and Veii.2C under Tullus Hostilius|defeated]] by Rome in the mid 7th century BC during the reign of Rome's third king [[Tullus Hostilius]], and again by Rome's fifth king [[Lucius Tarquinius Priscus|Tarquinius Priscus]] in the early 6th century BC.

===Conflicts with the Roman Republic===
In the early [[Roman Republic]], Fidenae made a decision that was to cost them much of their land in favor of the new [[Claudia gens]], formed from [[Sabines|Sabine]] defectors. [[Lucius Tarquinius Superbus]], last king of Rome, having been expelled from it, at first looked for intervention from the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]]. [[Lars Porsenna]] of [[Clusium]], dissatisfied with Superbus' conduct and ethics, made peace with the new republic.

The Tarquins then subverted [[Latium]]. [[Sextus Tarquinius]], whose rape of [[Lucretia]] had triggered the overthrow of the monarchy (if he was not assassinated at [[Gabii]]), convinced the Sabines to go to war against Rome, arguing that previous treaties had been annulled by the expulsion of the kings. The Tarquins were now interested in Latin intervention. After some minor conflicts in which Rome was victorious, the Sabines took a vote and resolved on an invasion of the city of Rome (with perhaps the previous example in memory). The Tarquins brought in Fidenae and [[Cameria]], formerly Roman allies.

The [[Roman-Sabine wars#War with the early republic 505-4 BC|total defeat]] of the Sabines in 505/504 BC was followed by the siege of Fidenae. The city was taken only a few days later: the Romans assembled their prisoners and executing the senior officers before them (whipped by the rods and beheaded by the axe of the [[fasces]], a standard punishment for treason), let the rest go with a stern warning. A garrison was placed in Fidenae, and its members were given much of its land.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dionysius of Halicarnassus|author-link=Dionysius of Halicarnassus|title=Roman Antiquities|chapter=Book V.40–43|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/5C*.html}}</ref> The Claudii are not mentioned in connection with the battle, but they had been given land north of the [[Aniene|Anio river]], some of which was at Fidenae. They could only collect on that offer if Fidenae was defeated, the implication being that they were being invited to participate in the campaign; they may even have been the garrison.

Fidenae appears to have fallen permanently under Roman domination after its [[Capture of Fidenae (435 BC)|capture in 435 BC]] by the Romans, and is spoken of by classical authors as a place almost deserted in their time. It seems, however, to have had some importance as a post station.

===Stadium disaster===
In 27 AD, an apparently cheaply built wooden [[amphitheatre|amphitheater]] constructed by an entrepreneur named [[Atilius (freedman)|Atilius]] collapsed in Fidenae, resulting in what was said to be the worst [[:Category:Stadium disasters|stadium disaster]] in history, with at least 20,000 killed and many more injured out of the total audience of 50,000.<ref>{{cite book|author=Tacitus|author-link=Tacitus|title=Annales|chapter=IV.62|chapter-url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Annals_(Tacitus)/Book_4#62}} Tacitus estimated 50,000 dead or wounded, including also those not part of the crowd but nearby the amphitheater at the time of collapse.</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus|author-link=Suetonius|title=The Lives of the Twelve Caesars|chapter=Tiberius.62|chapter-url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_the_Twelve_Caesars/Tiberius#40}} Suetonius estimated 20,000 dead.</ref>

The emperor [[Tiberius]] had banned gladiatorial games, and when the prohibition was lifted, the public had flocked to the earliest events, so a large crowd was present when the stadium collapsed. At the time of the incident, Tiberius was in [[Capri]], where he had a secure getaway, but he rushed to Fidenae to assist the victims of this incident.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The First Century: Emperors, Gods, and Everyman|last=Klingaman|first=William K.|publisher=Castle Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7858-2256-1|location=Edison, NJ|pages=139}}</ref>

The [[Roman Senate]] responded to the tragedy by banning people with a fortune of less than 400,000 [[sesterce]]s from hosting gladiator shows, and also requiring that all amphitheaters  built in the future be erected on a sound foundation, inspected and certified for soundness. The government also "[[Exile#Literature|banished]]" Atilius.<ref>{{cite book|author=Tacitus|author-link=Tacitus|title=Annales|chapter=IV.62|chapter-url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Annals_(Tacitus)/Book_4#62}}. Tacitus is unclear about what exactly the banishment of Atilius entailed – he might have been banished from some territory, or merely been banned from erecting new gladiator games, or some other form of banishment.</ref>

A digital reconstruction found the reported casualties to be consistent with a wooden structure similar in size to the still-standing stone structure of [[Verona Arena|the amphitheater in Verona]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Napolitano |first1=Rebecca |last2=Monce |first2=Michael |date=2018 |title=Failure at Fidenae: Understanding the site of the largest structural disaster of the Roman world |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221205481630025X |journal=Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage |volume=10 |issue=September 2018 |article-number=e00077 |doi=10.1016/j.daach.2018.e00077}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Roman–Etruscan Wars]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite thesis |last=Napolitano |first=Rebecca |date=2015 |title=Failure at Fidenae: Visualization and Analysis of the Largest Structural Disaster in the Roman World |type=BA |publisher=[[Connecticut College]] |url=https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=physicshp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110190228/https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=physicshp |archivedate=10 January 2021}}

{{etruscans}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|41.979|N|12.512|E|region:IT-NA_type:city|display=title|format=dms}}

[[Category:Roman sites in Lazio]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Italy]]