Roman villa with three skeletons unearthed in the area of Satricum, Lazio

A large Roman villa has been discovered near the Satricum, in Borgo Le Ferriere (Latina), an ancient town in the coastal plain of Latium, on the road from Antium to Velitrae at the NW border of the Pontine Marshes.

Credit: La Repubblica

Satricum, an Alban colony, first appears in history as an ally of the Volsci and Latins during the Roman–Latin wars of the Roman Republic.

By central Italian standards, ancient Satricum was a medium-sized town of about 40 hectares that flourished between 900 and 450 BC. The city was situated on the southern edge of a fertile coastal plain, between the Greek dominated south and the Etruscans in north Italy.

Credit: La Repubblica

A road ran approximately parallel to the Via Appia between the city of Rome and Satricum. The archaeological remains include houses, tombs, pottery and a huge temple complex dedicated to the Roman goddess Mater Matuta.

The remains of the city itself have largely disappeared, but the Mater Matuta temple complex perched on a hill has remained fairly intact.

Credit: La Repubblica

Near the old road leading to the sanctuary, the Dutch researchers have brought to light the remains of a Roman villa, comprising several rooms, with floors in good condition, a tunnel and also two skeletons laying side by side, as well as the remains of a dog and a cow. A third skeleton was also found a short distance from these.

The recent discovery takes place within the framework of the program of excavations and studies carried out by the University of Amsterdam over the past forty years and presently coordinated by Professor Marjike Gnade in collaboration with the Superintendence and the City of Latina.

Credit: La Repubblica

Professor Marijke Gnade, who has been in Italy since 1977, hopes that the newly discovered villa and other significant buildings at the site will eventually open to tourists. In order for this to happen, however, it will be necessary to build enclosures that will protect the precious archaeological remains.

Source: Latina Corriere [trsl. TANN, August 31, 2019]