Once thought as a backwater town during the time of Julius Caesar, the ruins of Interamna Lineras, after 13 years of excavation work, is now being re-examined and new discoveries show that the former Roman colony had actually been a bustling town with its own commerce and urban development.
Historians have traditionally placed the peak of Interamna Lineras at around the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE, however, a team of archaeologists, headed by Alessandro Launaro, found remains of markets, structures, and thousands of local pottery which suggested that the town at its peak had been home to around 2,000 people.
Furthermore, although it was widely believed that Interamna Lineras had diminished by the turn of the 1st century CE, Launaro's team think that the evidence points toward the survival of the town well into the 3rd century CE, and perhaps even toward the 4th century, with some estimates suggesting that the town had been deserted by the 6th century CE.
From their geophysical surveys, they found that, not only did the town have a market, residential buildings, and other commercial establishments, but it also had a large 1,500-seater theater covered by a roof and decorated in marble. Moreover, it also had a warehouse, a temple, three bath complexes, and 19 courtyard buildings.
Just goes to show that if you dig deep enough, something is bound to turn up.
(Image credit: Alessandro Launaro)