Regio VI Umbria (also named Regio VI Umbria et Ager Gallicus) is the name for one of the 11 administrative regions into which the emperor Augustus divided Italy. The main source for the regions is the Historia Naturalis of Pliny the Elder, who informs his readers he is basing the geography of Italy on the descriptio Italiae, "division of Italy", made by Augustus. [1] The Regio Sexta ("6th Region") is called Umbria complexa agrumque Gallicam citra Ariminium ("Umbria including the Gallic country this side of Rimini"). [2]
Umbria is named after an Italic people, the Umbri, who were gradually subjugated by the Romans in the 4th through the 2nd centuries BC. Although it passed the name on to the modern region of Umbria, the two coincide only partially. Roman Umbria extended from Narni in the South, northeastward to the neighborhood of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast, thus including a large part of central Italy that now belongs to the Marche; at the same time, it excluded the Sabine country (generally speaking, the area around modern Norcia) and the right bank of the Tiber, which – being inhabited by Etruscans – formed part of Regio VII Etruria: for example Perusia (the modern Perugia) and Orvieto (its ancient name is unknown), two Etruscan cities – were not part of Roman Umbria; on the contrary Sarsina, Plautus birthplace, was considered to be "in Umbria", while today it is in the modern province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna.
The importance of Umbria in Roman and medieval times was intimately bound up with the Via Flaminia, the consular road that supplied Rome and served as a military highway into and out of the City: for this reason once the Roman empire collapsed, Umbria became a strategic battleground fought over by the Church, the Lombards and the Byzantines, and suffered consequently, becoming partitioned among them and disappearing from history. The modern use of "Umbria" is due to a renaissance of local identity in the 17th century.
Before its defeat by and assimilation to the Romans, Umbria was an independent region organized al a loose confederation of towns whose inhabitants spoke the Umbrian language. This circumstance prevailed in history during the early and middle Roman Republic. By the late republic, Umbria was part of Rome. The language was no longer generally spoken.
Like any other region, over the centuries Region VI changed its borders. These changes are reflected in the writings of the imperial geographers.
The sexta regio is described in some detail by Pliny the Elder. [2]
Gallia Togata went along the northern Adriatic coast of Italy in Marche from Ancona to "this side of Rimini." The southernmost point of Gallia Togata is Ancona. He mentions the Aesis River (Esino) north of there, Senagallia (Sinigaglia), Pisaurum (Pesaro) and then Fanum (Fano) at the mouth of the Metaurus (Metauro) River.
There follows a folk-etymologic statement concerning the name of the Umbri. People believe, he says, that they are named from the thunderstorms (imbres) of the deluge and therefore that they are the oldest people on Earth. (The ancient Greeks and Romans inherited a mythological tradition of a deluge independent of that of the Old Testament.) Some of his further statements appear to be equivocal, leading to some historical misidentification of Gallia Togata. He declares:
"The largest part of this district was occupied by Sicilians and Liburnians especially the territories of Palma, Praetutia and Adria."
This Adria (Hadrianus) is Atri, Italy on the coast of Abruzzi south of Ancona. Praetutia is Interamnia Praetutia, capital city of the Petrutii. From Interamnea comes Teramo and from Praetutia comes Aprutium, later Abruzzo. [3] The coast of Abruzzo was in Augustus' Region IV; however, Pliny does not say that the Abruzzo was the largest part of Gallia Togata, only that it was the largest part of the region settled by Sicilians and Liburnians. Similarly if Hadrianus is taken to be Adria in Veneto then Gallia Togata would appear to be a synonym for all Gallia Cisalpina. However, Veneto is not "this side of Rimini."
Pliny states his belief that the Umbrians once held the north Adriatic coast, displacing Sicilians and Liburnians, and were in turn displaced by the Etruscans. The Gauls expelled them. Romans colonized the Gallic coast to control it, hence "togata."
For Umbria proper Pliny simply lists the settlements: Spello, Todi, Amelia, Attiglio, Assisi, Arna, Iesi, Camerino, Casuentillum, Carsulae, Dolates Sallentini, Foligno, Market of Flaminius, Market of Julius, Market Brenta, Fossombrone, Gubbio, Terni, etc.
Ptolemy, 2nd century geographer, does not lump Gallia Togata together with Umbria, but describes them as separate regions. [4]
In Ptolemy, Ancona is in Picenum. The strip of country "above" the Apennines, "extending as far as Ravenna," is Gallia Togata. Thirteen towns are listed for it, which are south of the Po River, but are as far inland as Piacenza. This region is somewhat larger than the one of the same name in Augustus' time, comprising almost all of Emilia-Romagna. The towns are: Piacenza, Fidenza, Brescello, Parma, etc.
For the Umbri Ptolemy has only nine towns, omitting some of the major ones: Arna, Spello, Todi, etc.
Regio VI included the territory of many towns of Umbrian, Gallic and Roman foundation. Some of them were originally Picentian centres. [5] Pliny the Elder enumerates 44 cities in addition to other minor localities, of these cities today 25 belong to the Umbria region and 16 [6] to the Marche region, 2 to Romagna and 1 to Tuscany.
Latin name | Umbrian name | Modern name [7] | Zone | Modern Region | Foundation | Gens/Tribus | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aesis | Jesi | ager Gallicus | Marche | Picentian, [8] later Roman colonia deduced in 247 a.C. | Pollia | ||
Ameria | Amer | Amelia | Umbria | Umbrian | |||
Arna | Civitella d'Arna | Umbria | Umbrian | ||||
Asisium | Assisi | Umbria | Umbrian | Sergia | |||
Attidium | Atiersium [9] | Attiggio, near Fabriano | Marche | Umbrian | Lemonia | ||
Camerinum | Kamars | Camerino | Marche | Umbrian | Cornelia | ||
Carsulae | near San Gemini | Umbria | |||||
Corculon | Falisci | Montefalco | Umbria | Umbrian | |||
Fanum Fortunae | - | Fano | ager Gallicus | Marche | Picentian, [8] then Roman colonia | Pollia | Colonia Julia Fanestris |
Forum Flaminii | San Giovanni Profiamma (Foligno) | Umbria | Roman: founded in 220 a.C. by censor Gaius Flaminius during the construction of via Flaminia | ||||
Forum Julii Concupiensium | near Pietralunga | Umbria | Promoted to municipium nell'età augustea | ||||
Forum Sempronii | - | near Fossombrone | ager Gallicus | Marche | Picentian [8] | Pollia | |
Fulginium, Fulginia | Fulkinion | Foligno | Umbria | Umbrian foundation, according to some authors in 1480 a.C. | Cornelia | ||
Hispellum | Spello | Umbria | Umbrian | Lemonia, then Julia | Splendidissima colonia Julia | ||
Iguvium | Ikuvium | Gubbio | Umbria | Umbrian | Crustumina | ||
Interamna Nahars | Terni | Umbria | Umbrian foundation in 672 a.C. | ||||
Matilica | Matelica | Marche | Picentian [8] | Cornelia | |||
Mevania | Bevagna | Umbria | Umbrian | Aemilia | |||
Mevaniola | near Galeata | Romagna | Umbrian | Stellatina | |||
Narnia Nahars | Nequinum | Narni | Umbria | Umbrian. Founded by Umbrians as Nequinum, destroyed by the Romans, was founded again by them nearby as Narnia Nahars | Papiria | ||
Nuceria Camellaria | Noukria | Nocera Umbra | Umbria | Umbrian | |||
Nuceria Favoniensis | Pievefanonica near Capodacqua | Umbria | Umbrian | ||||
Ocriculum | near Otricoli | Umbria | Umbrian | ||||
Ostra | - | near Ostra Vetere | ager Gallicus | Marche | Roman foundation | Pollia | |
Pisaurum | - | Pesaro | ager Gallicus | Marche | Picentian, [8] then, from 184 a.C., Roman colonia | Stellatina | In triumviral and augustean age the city got the name of colonia Iulia Felix Pisaurum |
Pitinum Mergens | - | near Acqualagna | Marche | Crustumina | |||
Pitinum Pisaurense | - | near Macerata Feltria | ager Gallicus | Marche | Ufentina | ||
Plestia | near Colfiorito | Umbria/Marche [10] | Umbrian | Oufentina | |||
Sarsina | Sarsina | Romagna | Umbrian | Pupinia | |||
Sena Gallica | - | Senigallia | ager Gallicus | Marche | Roman colonia since 283 a.C. | Pollia | |
Sentinum | near Sassoferrato | Marche | Lemonia | ||||
Sestinum | Sestino | Toscana | Crustumina | ||||
Spoletium | Spoleto | Umbria | Umbrian, Roman colonia was founded in 241 a.C. | Horatia | |||
Suasa | - | near Castelleone di Suasa | ager Gallicus | Marche | Roman foundation [11] | Camilia [12] | Sometimes named Suasa Senonum [13] |
Suillum | near Sigillo | Umbria | Roman municipium ruled by duoviri | ||||
Tadinum | Tarsina | Gualdo Tadino | Umbria | Umbrian | |||
Tifernum Metaurense | near Sant'Angelo in Vado | Marche | Crustumina | ||||
Tifernum Tiberinum | Città di Castello | Umbria | Crustumina | ||||
Trebia o Lucana Trebiensis | near Trevi | Umbria | Aemilia | ||||
Tuder | Tutere | Todi | Umbria | Umbrian | Crustumina | ||
Tuficum | Borgo Tufico, near Fabriano | Marche | Oufentina | ||||
Urvinum Hortense | near Collemancio | Umbria | Roman | ||||
Urvinum Metaurense | Urbino | Marche | Stellatina | Sometimes named Urvinum Mataurense | |||
Vettona | Bettona | Umbria | Umbrian |
Umbria is a region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Apennine Peninsula. The regional capital is Perugia.
The Veneti were an Indo-European people who inhabited northeastern Italy, in an area corresponding to the modern-day region of Veneto, from the middle of the 2nd millennium BC and developing their own original civilization along the 1st millennium BC.
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium, Campania, and the Po Valley. The section running through northern Rome is where Constantine the Great, allegedly, had his famous vision of the Chi Rho, leading to his conversion to Christianity and the Christianization of the Roman Empire.
Marche, in English sometimes referred to as the Marches, is one of the twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the central area of the country, and has a population of about 1.5 million people, being the thirteenth largest region in the country by number of inhabitants. The region's capital and largest city is Ancona.
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.
The Via Aemilia was a trunk Roman road in the north Italian plain, running from Ariminum (Rimini), on the Adriatic coast, to Placentia (Piacenza) on the River Padus (Po). It was completed in 187 BC. The Via Aemilia connected at Rimini with the Via Flaminia, which had been completed 33 years earlier, to Rome.
The province of Pesaro and Urbino is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pesaro. It also borders the state of San Marino. The province is surrounded by San Marino and Emilia Romagna in the north, Umbria and Tuscany in the west, Ancona in the south and the Adriatic Sea on the east. The province has an enclave of the Umbrian commune of Citta' di Castello named Monte Ruperto. The province is also known as "Riviera of Hills". It is mostly covered by hills and is popular for its beaches.
The Senones or Senonii were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Hispellum was an ancient town of Umbria, Italy, 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Fulginiae on the road to Perusia.
Italia, also referred to as Roman Italy, was the homeland of the ancient Romans. According to Roman mythology, Italy was the ancestral home promised by Jupiter to Aeneas of Troy and his descendants, Romulus and Remus, who were the founders of Rome. Aside from the legendary accounts, Rome was an Italic city-state that changed its form of government from Kingdom to Republic and then grew within the context of a peninsula dominated by the Gauls, Ligures, Veneti, Camunni and Histri in the North, the Etruscans, Latins, Falisci, Picentes and Umbri tribes in the Centre, and the Iapygian tribes, the Oscan tribes and Greek colonies in the South.
Central Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region, and a European Parliament constituency.
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name was assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum became Regio V in the Augustan territorial organisation of Roman Italy. It is now in Marche and the northern part of Abruzzo.
The Umbri were an Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the ancient Umbria.
Poggio is an Italian word meaning "knoll". It may refer to:
The Ager Gallicus was the territory in northern Picenum that had been occupied by the Senone Gauls and was conquered by Rome in 284 BC or 283 BC, either after the Battle of Arretium or the Battle of Lake Vadimon.
The Picentes or Piceni or Picentini were an ancient Italic people who lived from the 9th to the 3rd century BC in the area between the Foglia and Aterno rivers, bordered to the west by the Apennines and to the east by the Adriatic coast. Their territory, known as Picenum, therefore included all of today's Marche and the northern part of Abruzzo.
Central Marchigiano refers to a group of Romance varieties spoken in the central part of the Marche region of Italy, in an area that includes the provinces of Ancona, Macerata and Fermo. It is one of the Central Italian dialects and forms part of a continuum that also encompasses Umbrian and Tuscan. There are notable grammatical, lexical and idiomatic differences between Marchigiano and standard Italian, but it is considered, along with the rest of Central Italian dialects, to be fairly intelligible to a speaker of Standard Italian.
The Raeti were a confederation of Alpine tribes, whose language and culture was related to those of the Etruscans. Before the Roman conquest, they inhabited present-day Tyrol in Austria, eastern Switzerland and the Alpine regions of northeastern Italy. After the Roman conquest, the province of Raetia was formed, which included parts of present-day Germany south of the Danube.
In the 8th century BC, the Etruscans expanded their power to Northern and Southern Italy, specifically towards Emilia and Campania, where they founded Etruscan dominions that are modernly known under the names of Padanian Etruria and Campanian Etruria. Moving from the northern city-states of the Etruscan Dodecapolis they swept into the Po valley through the Apennine passes.
The Battle of Pharos was a naval battle between the Greek colony of Pharos which was allied with Dionysius I of Syracuse and the Liburnians. The battle took place during 384–383 BC. The Liburnians of Zadar, the Iadasinoi, became allies of the natives of Hvar and the leaders of an eastern Adriatic coast coalition in the fight against the Greek colonizers. An expedition of 10,000 men in 300 ships sailed out from Zadar and laid siege to the Greek colony Pharos in the island of Hvar, but the Syracusan fleet of Dionysius was alerted and attacked the siege fleet. The naval victory went to the Greeks which allowed them to further colonize the southern Adriatic coast in relative safety.