Amelia
The Umbrian settlement, of which traces remain, goes back to the Middle Bronze Age. During ancient times the town was influenced by the neighboring Etruscan, Faliscan and Latin cultures. In the mid-3rd century BC a process of urbanization began, following the opening of the Via Amerina, with the construction of mighty walls made of large polygonal blocks. The circuit of walls, of which long sections remain, reveal the size reached by the town. Numerous archeological monuments are contained within the present-day historic center. These include both public and private buildings, which together with the rural villas scattered in the surrounding area, provide evidence of the flourishing economy of the Roman municipium. This prosperity transpires also from the discovery in 1963 of a beautiful bronze statue of Germanicus. The very modern Boccarini Civic Archeological Museum preserves important findings from the area, along with precious materials recently unearthed at the necropolis outside Porta Romana.
Guided tours of the Roman cisterns: http://www.ameliasotterranea.it/ita.htm
The earliest findings at the Umbrian town of Amelia go back to the Bronze Age; however, despite the fragmentariness of what is currently known archeologically, it is possible to follow the continuity of life at the primitive settlement from the Iron Age to the culmination of the Archaic Age, with evidence from very ancient times of close contacts not with the Umbrian hinterlands, but with the nearby Etruscan and Italic territories.
Currently, the fundamental data for reconstructing the history of the ancient town are provided by the pre-Roman necropolis and the annexed sacred area, used until the 4th-2nd century BC, near the locality of Pantanelli, southeast of Amelia. The type of tombs and the quality of the materials found confirm that the area was ruled by an aristocratic class, for whom the prestigious goods were intended.
The Tiber River and its valley played a fundamental role in the distribution of fine goods and in particular for the trading, through Volsinii, of Attic pottery on the Amerino market.
The Romanization process taking place in southern Umbria affected Amelia as well; the opening of the Via Amerina in 240 BC was essential, of course, in this process, as it facilitated Rome’s penetration northward. This road, which improved on an older road, was the shortest route between Rome and Umbria passing through Faliscan and Etruscan territory.
The urbanization of the town probably took place in this period, with the building of the walls of massive polygonal blocks. Relations with the nearby southern Etruscan, Latian and especially the Faliscan areas became stronger and more evident, as is demonstrated by the importing of pottery and architectural terracottas at the Pantanelli sanctuary, where the Faliscan style dominates. The creation of the municipium shortly after the social war confirms the full inclusion of Ameria into the sphere of Rome.