{"id":169081,"date":"2023-12-26T21:09:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-26T21:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=169081"},"modified":"2023-12-26T21:09:50","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T21:09:50","slug":"archaeological-find-redefines-roman-empires-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/history\/archaeological-find-redefines-roman-empires-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Archaeological Find Redefines Roman Empire&#8217;s Fall"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how a 13-year excavation in Interamna Lirenas, <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/louvre-artifacts-italys-bid-to-reclaim-seven-louvre-artifacts\/\">Italy<\/a>, challenges long-held views on the Roman Empire&#8217;s fall, revealing a thriving town with sophisticated urban features well into the 3rd century AD.<br \/>\n           <!--  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n                jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n                    jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n                        if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n                        }\r\n                    });\r\n                })\r\n            <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n            <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n            <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n                                <span style=\"background-color:#EF8638;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n                <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#EF8638;background-color:rgba(239, 134, 56, 0.1);\">\r\n                                                        <li>A 13-year archaeological excavation in Interamna Lirenas, Italy, upends traditional beliefs about the Roman Empire's collapse, revealing a thriving town until the 3rd century AD.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>Urban features like public baths, a temple, a warehouse, and a theater were discovered, disproving the idea of the town being a \"backwater.\"<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The findings, including a detailed pottery analysis, suggest many Roman towns might have been more resilient than previously thought.<\/li>\r\n                                                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Discovery That Changes Historical Timelines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The excavation in Interamna Lirenas, led by Alessandro Launaro from the University of Cambridge, has dramatically <strong>altered our understanding of the Roman Empire&#8217;s decline<\/strong>. Using geophysical surveys and targeted excavations, archaeologists revealed a town with urban amenities like a roofed theater, marketplaces, warehouses, and a river port. This contradicts previous assumptions that Interamna Lirenas was in decline from the late 2nd or early 1st centuries BC.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Resilience of Roman Urbanism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Analysis of common ware pottery used for cooking, rather than imported pottery, provided a <strong>more accurate picture of the town&#8217;s endurance<\/strong>. Contrary to past beliefs, Interamna Lirenas thrived until the latter part of the 3rd century AD. The town, with an estimated population of 2,000 residents, was self-sufficient and robust in trade, indicating a strong regional economy.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Interamna Lirenas&#8217; Role in the Roman Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Further research suggests that Interamna Lirenas was not only a key trading hub but also <strong>a vital part of the regional urban network<\/strong>, likely visited by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/history\/rediscovering-hawaiis-archaeological-heritage-in-2023-edition\/\">Archaeological<\/a> evidence, such as a large warehouse and a river port, supports the town&#8217;s importance in trade routes between key centers in Italy. Additionally, the presence of a roofed theater, large enough to seat 1,500 visitors, speaks to the town&#8217;s cultural and economic prosperity.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The End of an Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Despite the lack of evidence for a violent end, it is believed that the town was gradually abandoned, likely due to fears of marauding armies. This gradual decline, rather than a sudden collapse, offers a <strong>new perspective on the resilience of Roman towns<\/strong> and challenges preconceived notions of the Roman Empire&#8217;s fall.<\/p>\n<p>The results of this extensive excavation not only rewrite a significant chapter in Roman history but also showcase the <strong>importance of modern archaeological techniques<\/strong> in revealing the true stories of ancient civilizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10028,"featured_media":169085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10028"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}