Ager Gallicus

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The Ager Gallicus was the territory taken by Rome from the Senones at the beginning of the third century BC after the Battle of Sentinum (295 BC). It was later established as a federated territory.

Contents 1 Territory 2 Later administrative organization 3 References 4 Sources

[edit] Territory

The territory corresponds to that part of the Marche region lying north of the Esino river.

To control the Ager the Romans gathered on the coast roman colonies of Sena Gallica (Senigallia), Ariminum (Rimini), Pisaurum (Pesaro) and Fanum Fortunae (Fano). The administration of the interior was organized in 232 BC by the lex Flaminia de agro Gallico et Piceno viritim dividundo, which created a network of prefectures (praefecturae). From the middle of the 1st century BC, these were granted the status of municipium: Aesis (Jesi), Suasa, Ostra, and Forum Sempronii (Fossombrone).

In 220 BC, the construction of the Via Flaminia from Rome, crossing the Ager through the Metauro river valley, influenced the equilibrium of the territory, which found itself suddenly connected to the City by the consular road.

[edit] Later administrative organization

After the Augustan administrative reorganization of the Italian peninsula, the Ager Gallicus was united with Umbria and became part of Regio VI Umbria et ager Gallicus.

With the reorganization of Italy under Diocletian in 300 AD the Ager was split off from Umbria and combined with Picenum to become the province Flaminia et Picenum.

Later, under the emperor Theodosius I, the territory was split again from Picenum, which became the province of Picenum Suburbicarium, and became part of the provice of Flaminia et Picenum Annonarium. In this new name, in which for the first time this territory was called "Picenum", it is hypothesized^[1] that it is possible to see a record of the Italic people known as the Piceni, that were in that place from the 10th century BC until the elimination of the Senones in the 4th century BC.

[edit] References

1. ^ Nereo Alfieri, Le Marche e la fine del mondo antico, in Atti Mem. Deputazione Storia Patria delle Marche. 86, 1983, pp. 9-34.

[edit] Sources

• P.L. Dall'Aglio - S. De Maria - A. Mariotti (eds.), Archeologia delle valli marchigiane Misa, Nevola e Cesano, Perugia 1991
• Nereo Alfieri, Scritti di topografia antica sulle Marche, a cura di Gianfranco Paci, Editrice Tipigraf, 2000, ISBN 88-87994-09-9
• Mario Luni (ed.), La Via Flaminia nell'ager Gallicus, Urbino 2002