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ANCONA (Ancient city) MARCHE
Ancona or Ancon (AnkoW: Eth. Ankonios, and Ankonites, Steph. B., Anconitanus:
the form Ancon in Latin is chiefly poetical; but, according to Orelli, Cicero
uses Anconem for the ace. case), an important city of Picenum on the Adriatic
sea, still called Ancona. It was situated on a promontory which forms a remarkable
curve or elbow, so as to protect, and almost enclose its port, from which circumstance
it derived its Greek name of Ankon, the elbow. (Strab. v. p. 241; Mela, ii. 4;
Procop. B. G. ii. 13. p. 197.) Pliny, indeed, appears to regard it as named from
its position at the angle or elbow formed by the coast line at this point (in
ipso flectentis se orae cubito, iii. 13. s. 18), but this is probably erroneous.
The promontory on which the city itself is situated, is connected with a more
lofty mountain mass forming a bold headland, the Cumerus of Pliny, still known
as Monte Comero. Ancona was the only Greek colony on this part of the coast of
Italy, having been founded about 380 B.C. by Syracusan exiles, who fled hither
to avoid the tyranny of the elder Dionysius. (Strab.) Hence it is called Dorica
Ancon by Juvenal (iv. 40), and is mentioned by Scylax (§ 17, p. 6), who notices
only Greek cities. We have no account of its existence at an earlier period, for
though Pliny refers its foundation to the Siculi (see also Solin. 2. § 10), this
is probably a mere misconception of the fact that it was a colony from Sicily.
We learn nothing of its early history: but it appears to have rapidly risen into
a place of importance, owing to the excellence of its port (the only natural harbour
along this line of coast) and the great fertility of the adjoining country. (Strab.
l. c.; Plin. xiv. 6.) It was noted also for its purple dye, which, according to
Silius Italicus (viii. 438), was not inferior to those of Phoenicia or Africa.
The period at which it became subject to the Romans is uncertain, but it probably
followed the fate of the rest of Picenum: in B.C. 178 we find them making use
of it as a naval station against the Illyrians and Istrians. (Liv. xli. 1.) On
the outbreak of the Civil War it was occupied by Caesar as a place of importance,
immediately after he had passed the Rubicon; and we find it in later times serving
as the principal port for communication with the opposite coast of Dalmatia. (Caes.
B.C. i. 11; Cic. ad Att. vii. 1. 1, ad Farn. xvi. 12; Tac. Ann. iii. 9.) As early
as the time of C. Gracchus a part of its territory appears to have been assigned
to Roman colonists; and subsequently Antony established there two legions of veterans
which had served under J. Caesar. It probably first acquired at this time the
rank of a Roman colony, which we find it enjoying in the time of Pliny, and which
is commemorated in several extant inscriptions. (App. B.C. v. 23; Lib. Colon.
pp. 225, 227, 253; Gruter, pp. 451. 3, 465. 6; Zumpt, de Colon. p. 333.) It received
great benefits from Trajan, who improved its port by the construction of a new
mole, which still remains in good preservation. On it was erected, in honour of
the emperor, a triumphal arch, built entirely of white marble, which, both from
its perfect preservation and the lightness and elegance of its architecture, is
generally regarded as one of the most beautiful monuments of its class remaining
in Italy. Some remains of an amphitheatre may also be traced; and numerous inscriptions
attest the flourishing condition of Ancona under the Roman Empire. The temple
of Venus, celebrated both by Juvenal and Catullus (Juv. iv. 40; Catull. xxxvi.
13), has altogether disappeared; but it in all probability occupied the same site
as the modern cathedral, on the summit of the lofty hill that commands the whole
city and constitutes the remarkable headland from which it derives its name.
We find Ancona playing an important part during the contests of Belisarius
and Narses with the Goths in Italy. (Procop. B. G. ii. 11, 13, iii. 30, iv. 23.)
It afterwards became one of the chief cities of the Exarchate of Ravenna, and
continued throughout the Middle Ages, as it does at the present day, to be one
of the most flourishing and commercial cities of central Italy.
The annexed coin of .Ancona belongs to the period of the Greek colony:
it bears on the obverse the head of Venus, the tutelary deity of the city, on
the reverse a bent arm or elbow, in allusion to its name.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
or Ancon (Ankon). A town in Picenum, on the Adriatic Sea, lying in a bend of the coast between two promontories, and hence called Ancon, or an “elbow.” It was built by the Syracusans in the time of the elder Dionysius, B.C. 392. The Romans made it a colony. It possessed an excellent harbour, completed by Trajan, and was one of the most important seaports of the Adriatic.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
The most important port in Picenum, founded by Syracusans in 387 B.C.
on the site of important Picene and Villanovan settlements, and the only Greek
colony in this part of Italy. The city stands on a promontory, the easternmost
spur of Monte Conero (in. Cunerus), in an arc around an excellent natural harbor
artificially improved. The city was taken over by the Romans ca. 268 B.C.; after
Philippi and Actium there were deductions of colonists, and the city was inscribed
in the tribus Leinonia. It had a flourishing Mediterranean commerce under the
Republic and became under the Empire the principal port of Roman traffic with
Dalinatia. Trajan undertook improvement of the harbor, notably a new mole, to
which an arch bears witness. The city was ultimately destroyed by the Goths after
a long struggle.
The most important remains are those of the elegant arch of Trajan
of Hymettos marble (A.D. 115), light and graceful in design. Its inscription (CIL
IX, 5894) is preserved and the original stair descending to the seashore. There
are also well-preserved remains of an amphitheater, and substructions of a Greek
temple lie under the cathedral in a situation that commanded a panoramic view.
This was presumably dedicated to Aphrodite (Catull. 36.13; Juvenal 4.40). The
fortifications of the acropolis and the walls of the town on the sea side can
be traced with gaps and uncertainties; various ancient buildings, especially horrea
in the vicinity of the port and houses higher in the city, have come to light
from time to time; and Picene, Hellenistic, and Roman necropoleis have been located
and explored.
Antiquities from the province have been assembled in the Museo Nazionale
delle Marche. The most important materials are the numerous tomb groups, ranging
from Picene graves of the 9th c. down to the Roman period, and including the tombs
of Fabriano.
L. Richardson, Jr., ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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