Fidenae
Fidenae (
History
Conflicts with the Roman kingdom
Originally a settlement of Etruscans,[2] it was at the frontier of Roman territory and occasionally changed hands between Rome and Veii.
In the 8th century BC during the reign of
Fidenae and Veii were
Conflicts with the Roman republic
In the early
The Tarquins then subverted Latium. Sextus Tarquinius, whose rape of Lucretia had triggered the overthrow of the monarchy (if he was not assassinated at Gabii), convinced the Sabines to go to war against Rome, arguing that previous treaties had been annulled by the expulsion of the kings. The Tarquins were now interested in Latin intervention. After some minor conflicts in which Rome was victorious, the Sabines took a vote and resolved on an invasion of the city of Rome (with perhaps the previous example in memory). The Tarquins brought in Fidenae and Cameria, formerly Roman allies.
The
Fidenae appears to have fallen permanently under Roman domination after its capture in 435 BC by the Romans, and is spoken of by classical authors as a place almost deserted in their time. It seems, however, to have had some importance as a post station.
Stadium disaster
In 27 AD, an apparently cheaply built wooden amphitheater constructed by an entrepreneur named Atilius collapsed in Fidenae, resulting in what was said to be the worst stadium disaster in history, with at least 20,000 killed and many more injured out of the total audience of 50,000.[6][7] However, these estimates are likely to be exaggerated.[citation needed]
The emperor Tiberius had banned gladiatorial games, and when the prohibition was lifted, the public had flocked to the earliest events, so a large crowd was present when the stadium collapsed. At the time of the incident, Tiberius was in Capri, where he had a secure getaway, but he rushed to Fidenae to assist the victims of this incident.[8]
The
See also
References
- ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fidenae". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 320. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Ab urbe condita, 1:15
- Ab urbe condita, 1:14–15
- Ab urbe condita, 1:27
- ^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus. "Book V.40–43". Roman Antiquities.
- ^ Tacitus. "IV.62". Annales. Tacitus estimated 50,000 dead or wounded.
- ^ Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. "Tiberius.62". The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. Suetonius estimated 20,000 dead.
- ISBN 978-0-7858-2256-1.
- ^ Tacitus. "IV.62". Annales.. Tacitus is unclear about what exactly the banishment of Atilius entailed – he might have been banished from some territory, or merely been banned from erecting new gladiator games, or some other form of banishment.
Further reading
- Napolitano, Rebecca (2015). Failure at Fidenae: Visualization and Analysis of the Largest Structural Disaster in the Roman World (BA). Connecticut College. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021.