Situating Larinum

Abstract

This chapter presents the site of Larinum to the reader. It provides an initial discussion of the geography and topography of the site as well as a brief introduction to its occupation history. It then turns to the historical and literary material pertaining to Larinum (excluding Cicero’s Pro Cluentio, which is discussed in its own chapter) in order to address three key elements of the history of the site: the changing relationship between Larinum and Rome; the main elite families of Larinum; and Roman views of Larinum. This material includes works by authors such as Polybius, Cicero (in his letters to Atticus), Julius Caesar, Livy, Silius Italicus, Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy, Pomponius Mela, Appian, and Stephanus Byzantinus. Although the historical contexts and situations of the authors lead to certain biases in the narratives and focuses that at times can distract from the actual historical situation, a discussion of this material is an integral part of the site biography of Larinum.