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

In his article of 1970, La Regina argued that urbanized settlement began to
appear among the Italic populations as centres of administration from the third
century BC. When a new urban settlement was formed within the territory of a
community, it probably developed on top of a previously inhabited settlement,
bearing in mind the favourable conditions of the location for communication and
future development. La Regina argued that urbanization was part of Romanization in
the region. However, it is clear that those settlements which became municipia after
the Social War had begun to acquire urban features during the second century. Some
fortified centres apparently had public buildings and consequently may have played a
significant role in the administrative system. Curino and Monte Vairano probably did
not become municipia subsequently because their mountaintop location was
unsuitable for urban centres on the Roman model.
2.3.4. Sanctuaries
The rural sanctuaries are probably the best-attested and most informative features of
Samnite culture. Their importance is reinforced by the fact that we know little about
pre-Roman settlements. Extra-urban sanctuaries have been discovered at
Pietrabbondante, Campochiaro, Schiavi d'Abruzzo, Vastogirardi, S. Giovanni in
Galdo, Gildone, S. Pietro Avellana, Macchia Valfortore and Quadri. It has been
suggested that public and private wealth was spent on the building and restoration of
rural sanctuaries rather than urban public (and military) buildings or private
housing. 199
The sanctuaries have attracted more modern attention than other sites in
198 Terzani-Matteini Chiari (1997) 13.
199 Patterson (1991) 151.
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