Submitted for award of PhD September 2006. - King's College London

population moved to the plain where Roman Saepinum later developed. ' 88
Excavations have now revealed fine private houses and a fullery of the later second
century alongside the imperial forum of Saepinum and their location implies that the
forum and the main street with its associated drain, had already been laid out. 189
The
Romans founded colony at Aesernia in 263 BC. 190 Aufidena probably became a
praefectura after the Samnite wars. These settlements may have attracted Samnite
settlers, since Livy claims that 4,000 Samnite and Paelignian families had moved to
the Latin colony of Fregellae by 177 BC. 191 Second-century BC Samnium enjoyed a
more sophisticated lifestyle than has been previously presumed as the numerous
fragments of fine wares and wine amphorae at Monte Vairano attest. 192 Bovianum,
the centre of local pottery production, also shows scattered signs of urbanization. '93
La Regina emphasised that the choice of locations which became municipia in
Samnium after the Social War was not arbitrary, but was influenced by pre-existing
urban development at the sites.
'94
Most of the future inunicipia were located near lines of communication that
crossed Samnium, which were used as transhumance trails through to late Roman
times (see map II). The early development of Bovianum and Saepinum was probably
encouraged by the Pescasseroli-Candela trail. Aesernia lay between the rivers
Carpino and Sordo, at the meeting point of important lines of communication leading
south to Bovianum, west to Campania and the Liris valley, and north to Aufidena
186
App. Bell. Civ. 1.51.
187
Dench (1995) 134.
188
La Regina (1970) 198-200.
189 Matteini Chiari (1982) 15-9.
190
The Latin colonny of Aesernia produced its own coinage in the twenty years or so after its
foundation. For the coins see Rutter (2001) 58, nos. 429,430 and 431.
191
Livy 41.8.8.
192
See 2.3.2. Hill-forts
193
The names of Bovianum and Saepinum may indicate a connection with cattle raising. The name of
Bovianum is connected to cattle, Latin bos (cow), while the name of Saepinum is conventionally
related to the verb saepio, to mark off an area with hedge or fence.
58