Ager nomentanum land of poets
The "villa" for the Romans, since ancient times was a house located outside the city walls and the word referred to both the residential building that rural structure more complex including the ager or praedium, or land ownership. Ager indicated the territory pertaining to a town intended for civic uses, while praedium you indicated the private land; Cornelius Nepos to describe the villa of Pomponius Atticus writes: "Nomentanum rusticum praedium".
In ager Nomentanum, the territory between the river Tiber and Anio, its tributary, along the road leading to Nomentum had their villas Seneca, Martial, Cornelius Nepos and Pomponius Atticus.
This was the territory of the Romans municipia of Fidenae, Ficulea and Nomentum; it was an agricultural vocation ager characterized by the presence of villas, farms and small rural businesses. The area relevant today to some municipalities of the province of Rome - Fonte Nuova, Mentana, Guidonia, Monterotondo and Rome-is the subject of strong urbanization since the 70s of the last century; during excavation works for new buildings we have been found remains of many buildings of Roman era for which the Superintendency conducted survey excavation prohibiting access to the areas waiting to carry out more thorough archaeological investigations.
Archaeological research in the area of Mentana began already from the nineteenth century when the Borghese family, owner of Mentana feud from 1655, wanted to find "antiquities" with which to adorn his palaces; During this research it was identified the Forum of ancient Nomentum an area that at the end of the last century was acquired by the Ministry of Culture with the aim to launch organic campaigns of excavations and make it usable area of archaeological interest.
The territory of "Nomento" is known since ancient times and in Table Peuntigeriana distance from Rome is shown in XIV miles.
Based on the evidence of the finds and the epigraphic and historical information has been ascertained that the site of Nomentum is to be located at km 20,600 of today's Via Nomentana in the area called "Casali".
Virgil speaks of the town as an Alban colony in Sabine territory that was conquered by Tarquinius Priscus and while not participating in the Latin League was one of the cities that revolted in 338 B.C. ; following the defeat was incorporated fledged on the Roman territory by becoming a municipality governed by a dictator.
Throughout the area there were a lot of suburban villas that we regard as modern estates.
The villa at the end of the Republican era was not only center of agricultural production, it became more and more a place of peace, of otium. The rich owners, who were leaving the bustle of the city looking for the contact with nature, they led an intense cultural life devoting himself to read, to study, to the learned conversation, writing, theater, besides taking care of the estate management. For the first time the villa is associated with literary activity: Cicero composed in villa some of his most famous works ...
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by M.L. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Ed 1.0 - 17/08/2016)