AQUILEIA A BORDER CITY Extract taken from Archeologia Viva nn. 141, 142, 148, 154, 160 - www.archeologiaviva.it Photo Gianluca Baronchelli n considering the process of growing up to be- spots. It is also of utmost importance to promote the come an adult it could be said that the stages of museums which often seem to have been abandoned, O growth are just as important as the phases of for example the ‘Südhalle’ (South Hall) – a Paleo- discontinuity. In a similar way even institutions and pub- Christian hall with mosaic work from the late IV century lic services need the input of substantial innovation in – especially from the point of view of its accessibility order to take off with renewed momentum towards and tourist appreciation. achieving the desired goals. The focus of attention has, at the same time, been This sequence could also be applied to the archae- placed on the restoration of the precious mosaic “car- ological sites in Aquileia which have been excavated pets” which left in the open air are showing signs of de- and been places of research since the Renaissance. To- terioration due to the atmosphere: despite being neither day there is great need to implement new working tools an easy task nor able to be immediately accomplished, with which to address the legitimate requests of the in- the restoration was absolutely necessary. creasingly articulate and demanding cultural require- Innovation needs to be made which would allow ments, breaking away from established habits and the introduction of new – at least for this site – method- overcoming financial restrictions and management ology in order to safeguard the ancient structures and limits which a Ministry, with ever decreasing funds and eventually improve the level of understanding the mon- human resources available, is no longer able to meet as ument to the unspecialized person as much as to the it clearly should. school which constitutes the most important target for The Fondazione Aquileia is currently an irreplacea- tourism in Aquileia. ble means through which to face the challenge of pro- In the ultimate analysis, also taking into considera- moting this ancient city. Some of the archaeological ar- tion the geographical position, is the aim to propose the eas which have already been partially excavated in the site as an archaeological focal point of international past have not been easy to comprehend, on the one standing willing to experiment with new solutions. hand due to not having been completed and on the oth- Hence the International Contest of Ideas towards the er to the lack of explanatory didactic systems able to creation of a system of coverage was given the go render the information accessible to everybody, a sub- ahead. The aim is not to create a copy of ancient con- ject which can sometimes appear over-challenging to structions, but rather to evoke spaces and atmospheres many. in such a way that the visitors can enjoy the experience The Fondazione Aquileia’s first concern was to fo- also in terms of having a better understanding of all its cus their attention on an area with well-defined bound- aspects. aries, i.e. the area around the famous patriarchal Basili- A new phase, therefore, combining research, con- ca which was declared by UNESCO to be part of the servation, promotion and communication of knowledge World Heritage as far back as 1998. is underway, as the more society is aware of the value The objective was to restore a sense of physical of its heritage, the more the safeguarding of these relics unity to the area by means of straightforward pathways will be strengthened and projected towards the future. and clear signposting. Some of the already existing ex- Alviano Scarel cavations are scattered here and there like a leopard’s President of the Fondazione Aquileia TheAQU monumental complexes that are open to the public in addition ILEIA to the many excavation campaigns in progress provide evidence A BORDER CITY Texts by Jacopo Bonetto Michele Bueno Anna Del Bianco Diana Dobreva Luigi Fozzati of how the city of Aquileia made an economic and political fortune Guido Furlan Francesca Ghedini Paola Maggi Luciana Mandruzzato Franca Maselli Scotti Emanuela Murgia Marta Novello Flaviana Oriolo Caterina Previato out of it strategic position between the Adriatic Sea Marina Rubinich Monica Salvadori Cristiano Tiussi Paola Ventura Monika Verzár Edited by Jacopo Bonetto and continental-Balkan Europe Photos by Gianluca Baronchelli Fondazione Aquileia University of Padua University of Trieste University of Udine Archives of the Soprintendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia Giulia Piero Pruneti Photo credits Soprintendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia Giulia Translation by Joanne Baldoni

IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. Aquileia’s forum as it appears today. In the background is the Basilica’s bell tower. Identified in 1812 by L. Zuccolo, the public square was acknowledged as such by G. Brusin in 1934 and has been subject to many excavation campaigns until recently. In the Republican Age (II-I c. BC) the square hosted a variety of activities among which the elections following the assemblies (comitia) in the nearby assembly building (comitium).

The Roman World 2 3 ITUS LIVY, historian from the establishment of the Latin colony of Aquileia Patavium (Padua) who lived in in 181 BC. This event provided protection the Augustan Age wrote about for the territories that bordered areas sub- a group of twelve thousand ject to the influence of the Venetians (al- Transalpine Gauls who pene- main axis roadlies of the Romans) to the west, tribes of trated «in Venetiam» with the the Alpine Gauls to the north and the goalT of settling in the low plains of Friuli in Histri to the east. After the Transal- 186 BC. This was the event that led directly to pines were forced to return to their

native lands, a prestigious com- main axis road mission of the Ro- AQUILEIA IN THE PAST AND PRESENT man Senate gathered What a challenge. Aquileia is one of the most important archaeological areas in a group of three Italy. As such, the city is subject to the conditions that typically “rule” over the thousand foot THE GREAT AQUILEIA country’s cultural patrimony: lack of funds and of staff, administrative uncertain- Uninterrupted research soldiers and starting in the late XIX c. ty, normative inadequacy. In cases where the patrimony in question is a city like to today has helped Aquileia, both archaeological and modern problems multiply and the “rules” Luisa Bertacchi draw interfere with the routine management of museums, warehouses, excavation ar- a map of Aquileia that gathers eas, protected lots of land, etc. Fortunately, on a more positive note, Aquileia is all of the archaeological also developing into a “Great Aquileia” thanks to the drafting of new protection structures and infrastructures discovered thus far: rules, preservation, research and valorization. The Soprintendenza Archeolo- 1. the main axis road gica is responding with clear objectives in mind: a restoration and maintenance (the Postumia Way?); project for outdoor areas (like the forum), the preservation of specific excavated 2. the Annia Way; open-air areas (like the mosaics), the coordinating of scientific research (from 3. the Late Antiquity environmental archaeology to medieval archaeology without focusing solely defensive walls and gates; Natiso River 4. the northern city gate; on Roman archaeology) with the involvement of specialists from eight universi- 5. the Aratria Galla ties (Udine, Trieste, Padua, Venice, Milan, Rome, Foggia and Catania), and the Decumanus (East-West road); opening of a Research Center with labs (the Archaezoological is one now being 6. the forum; inaugurated). And last, but not least, is valorization. In addition to the existing 7. Building built over the museum there will be an archaeological park. In particular, “the museum of the Comitium; 8. Building built over the Macellum; territory” project is about to take off. It is a new display outside of the archaeolog- 9. river port; 10. eastern dock ical areas which showcases the Aquileian territory’s history: from the develop- of the Natiso cum Turro River; basilica ment of the Grado and Marano lagoons, to the first settlements, to the foundation 11. dock and warehouse (?) of Aquileia, as well as other historical events. A very ambitious program in which on today’s Ausset River; 12. dock on today’s Natissa the Aquileia Foundation will primarily take part in. Luigi Fozzati River; 13. Civilian Basilica; the forum 14. Theater; 15. Amphitheater; 16. Castellum aquae an unspecified number of centurions and knights of the aqueduct; 17. Schola?; 18. Food market; who were granted unprecendented amounts of 19. Circus; 20. Great Baths; farmland, i.e. twelve and a half, twenty-five and 21. Suburban Villa thirty-five hectares, respectively. However, this of Marignane; did not mark the birth of a Roman settlement on 22. Warehouses (Horrea); 23. Basilica complex and virgin soil. Recent research on the area north of Bishop’s palace; 24. Markets the forum points out the existence of an indige- on the Natissa River; nous settlement from as early as the end of the IX 25. Complex of the so-called Small Thermae c. BC. The pre-Roman village was made up of (Late Antiquity phase); wooden huts built on reclaimed land. It also con- 26. Complex of the so-called tained structures for the production of pottery Markets south of the Natissa River; 27. Bridges on which strongly resembled ancient Venetian pot- tributary of the Natiso River; tery. The place name ‘Aquileia’ seems to be of 28. Bridge on the Natiso Venetian origin. The indigenious settlement River in Monastero; 29. Road to Tergeste (Trieste); seems to have lasted until the II c. BC. However, 30. Road to Emona the period immediately before the establishment (Ljubljana); 31. Road of the Roman city remains obscure. intersecting with the road to the North; 32. Road along the Natissa River; 33. South-western Necropolis MONUMENTAL RUINS. In the first half of the I c. AD (mistakenly called the forum was a large rectangular pedestrian area of the Annia Way); covered in Aurisina limestone and lined by 34. Basilica of Monastero; porticoes (see the plinth featuring Medusa’s head) 35. Basilica of San Felice; that led to shops (tabernae) and the Civilian 36. Basilica of San Giovanni. Basilica. On the western side stood the temple (Elaborated by C. Tiussi (aedes) consecrated by the 169 BC from L. Bertacchi, Triumvir T. Annius Luscus. Nuova pianta archeologica 4 di Aquileia, Udine 2003) 5 ➝ p. 16 * right A complex settlement nals (like the Anfora Canal which is still active) the edge surrounding the square. A STRONGHOLD in the great outskirts the water flowed out into the sea. Nearly two Though not much archaeologi- Plan of the western in the marshes gate of the Republican A network of waterways. In Roman times the center of centuries later, Vitruvius (80/70-23 BC) ac- cal evidence of such buildings walls. The most ancient he colony first emerged as a strategic and Aquileia and the strip of land that surrounded the city’s knowledged the importance of the man-made remains, we know of the comi- brick walls with gates military outpost among ethnic groups urban perimeter were closely linked. The suburban ar- drainage system as it guaranteed “incredible tium (where people gathered with quadrangular ea housed service structures and was intersected by and circular courtyards that still were not reconciled with the Ro- healthiness” in the area. A clay-brick wall (with in comitia or assemblies) and T important roads that went to other urban were built before mans and furthermore it was far from the Ro- imposing salient-angled bastions and gates have epigraphic evidence of the the mid-II c. BC. man strongholds to the north and south of the Po centers as well as to the countryside. leading to a parade ground) was built around temple commissioned by the tri- Thanks to research work done in the River (Bologna, Cremona, Piacenza). Road con- the city enclosing a narrow and long urban space umvir Titus Annius Luscus. The VASUM 1990’s (Archaeological Maps FVG, the lower right DIATRETUM nection with the the Romans were Dept. of Ancient Science of the University of 41 hectares. To the east flowed a fifty-meter- square was used for multiple activites: Fragment of a diatretum WEALTHY DOMUS guaranteed only after the mid-II wide river identified as «Natiso cum Turro» (as cit- commercial, recreational, administrative as Today’s “CAL Area”, of Trieste, the SARA Project, Soprintenden- (Roman cup) found in one of the levels one of the wealthiest c. BC (the Postumia Way* 148 za Archeologica del Friuli Venezia Giulia), ed by Pliny the Elder) or ‘the Natisone and the well as for the elections. As for the rest, not much residential areas of the house “of the BC; the Annia Way* 131 BC). the suburban network can Torre‘, used as a river port. Still today the two wa- more is known about the city in the Republican dancing Putti” (IV c.). of the Roman city. Thus, the colony encountered now be clearly outlined. terways bear the same name and flow into the Age but for complexes like the macellum (the Here stood luxurious The precious cups were houses with mosaics great difficulties in its early years. Research has pointed out Isonzo river. In ancient times, however, they are market, north of the fourm) and the forum pe- used only by officials dating between the Only twelve years later, in 169 BC, the how varied the suburban likely to have had a different course and to have quarium (the animal market whose location is and notables at the imperial court, early Imperial Age and foreseeable defections from the con- areas were. Its navigable licked the colony to the west. unknown) which were destined to fulfill the Late Antiquity (I-IV c.). or by the court’s tingent led to the dispatch of 1,500 waterways (rivers, canals, city’s growing vocation for commerce. representatives. more Latin colonists with their fami- channels) constituted a The city forum develops functional circuit that cir- AMAZING document lies as a reinforcement to the garri- Base of a statue cumnavigated the urban along the main road son. Evidence of Livy’s account was THE DOMUS “OF THE DANCING PUTTI” unearthed along center. the western side found in an epigraph. On a nside the city walls the urban space was or- Between the forum and the river port. Thanks to regional and CRTrieste funding, in of the forum. base, found in Aquileia’s forum Close coexistence of the fu- ganized into a system of perpendicular roads. 2005 the Department of Ancient Studies of the University of Trieste in collaboration The inscription dating nerary and civil spheres. in 1995, mention is made of In A grid of blocks, differing in size, came to be. with the Office for Soprintendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia Giulia gave to 130 BC celebrates the suburban areas of Aquileia there is ev- I Titus Annius Luscus, one of the The main axis was the northwest/southeast road way to a research project in Aquileia on one of its most important insulae*. Excava- the Triumvir Titus idence of the existence of public buildings Annius Luscus, tions, supervised by Federica Fontana, are providing young archaeologists with a triumvirate members that led (sanctuaries, baths and market places) (today’s Regional Road 352) which led from the who together with the extra colonists. In addition, be- northern gate to the southern one. Along the car- training opportunity to help uncover a wealthy residential IV c. building known as the other triumvirs as well as residential buildings. In addi- the domus “of the dancing Putti”. confirmed that sides introducing administrative laws in- tion, there were artisan shops connected do maximus, at the actual center of the city, space a second contingent to the colony and updating the lists of with the roads and water systems for the was reserved for the forum (city square). Who was the home owner? About twenty rooms decorated with mosaic floors have of colonists should the local Senate, he oversaw the con- provision of construction materials (both Together with the river port, the city square is been uncovered. The discovery has unveiled mosaics featuring erotic dancing, pos- be sent in 169 BC. sibly referencing to Constantine’s (306-337) felicia tempora (happy times). It has al- The inscription lists struction of the temple in the heart of the clay-brick and limestone) or for the produc- one of Aquileia’s most famous areas, especially so been possible to determine the function of the rooms. There is a kitchen, a thermal the magistrate’s actions: city. tion of crockery and oil-lamps. Little of this following excavations in the 1930’s and the ana- bath, service rooms and hallways, “private” rooms surrounded by a peristyle that the construction The surrounding environment also is left today but for the funerary monu- stylosis performed on a number of portico col- of a temple, the drafting ments on display at the National Muse- likely connected with the so-called “del Tappeto fiorito” (“Full of flowers Carpet”) tri- of administrative laws, had an impact on the development of umns by Giovanni Brusin, a historian who great- um. These remain the only visible evi- clinium. The solidity of the domus and the wealth of decorative apparatuses indi- and updating the colony. A balance between the urban ly contributed to the Roman city’s knowledge. dence of underground burials with rich ob- cate the cultural and social status of the owner (dominus) who was likely to have the lists of local center and its ecosystem was needed due The current size of the square (142 x 56 m) is member of the Senate. jects which are still being unearthed today. been Septimius Theodulus, the first Christian governor of Venetia et Histria. to the marshlands that surrounded the similar to its size during the Republican Age*. (Aquileia, Archaeological Paola Maggi Flaviana Oriolo Paola Ventura Emanuela Murgia Museum) area. Thanks to the construction of ca- Many important public buildings were built on

EXCAVATING THE GREAT THERMAL BATHS THERMAL BATHS STATUE A large Late Antiquity building. Since 2002, following excavations One of the performed by the Soprintendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia sculptures Giulia between 1922 and 1987, archaeologists of the University of decorating the Great Thermal Udine have been retracing the history of one of the largest Late Antiqui- Baths uncovered ty public buildings. Built in the IV c. in the southwestern area of the city in the great (Braida Murata), the thermal baths complex covers an area of two and pool (natatio). a half hectares. The bath complex included basins for bathing in warm This heroically (calidaria) and cold (frigidaria) water, a wide paved pool and wide nude torso is a copy dating rooms with mosaic floors. The complex was luxurious as can be wit- to the II c. AD nessed by fragments of architectural decorations, columns, inlaid of Diomedes walls of precious stone, painted plasterwork and statues, which were by the Greek all uncovered in later excavations. Between the VI and VII c. the ruins sculptor Kresilas were re-utilized as houses with annexed burial grounds. Lastly, after (IV c. BC). A sculptural years of abandonment, in the XIII and XIV c. the complex walls were portrait head pulled down and the area was used for agricultural purposes. The was applied abandoned materials were used to build rural structures. Other exca- to it by someone vations are being performed by students for training purposes as part in Aquileia. of a project by the Friulian university in conjunction with the Soprinten- denza Archeologica. Marina Rubinich 7 6 ➝ p. 16 * RIVER PORT Monumentalization of urban space Roman Judea, or even Tiberius. No less impor- tions. Between the end of the I c. BC and the posed by early emperors to celebrate The ruins of Aquileia’s tant was the abundance of construction mate- first half of the I c. AD the Aquileians restored the strength of the Roman. On the great river port. The docks, provided s of the I c. BC, following the transfor- rials excavated from the Triestine Karst like Au- the city square. The original square was sur- southern side of the square, per- with mooring rings, mation of the colony into a municipali- risina’s white natural limestone, still extracted rounded by great porticoes with nearly six- haps during Augustus’s reign (27 and the wharehouses ty* (89 BC) and even more so in the sec- today. The city had a theater with steps in tra- meter-high columns. Above the horizontal BC-14 AD), the civilian basilica stood along the right A bank of the Natiso ond half of the century, Aquileia underwent chyte stone (from the Euganean Hills) and a trabeation lay pluteuses* featuring images of was built (for the administra- cum Turro River. profound changes. This was also thanks to im- portico where a magnificent Doric frieze once wreaths supported by amorini or eagles alter- tion of justice).This building Its monumentalization portant people like Caesar who spent many belonged with images of weapons. Later, out- nated with plinths* shaped like the heads of (we see it today in its restruc- dates to the I c. AD. winters in Aquileia with the legions, or Octavi- side of the Republican city walls, by then for Jupiter Ammon (venerated in the Siwa oasis) tured version in the II c. AD) led The original river bed (48 m wide) was filled an Augustus who chose Aquileia as one of his the most part demolished, stood a big amphi- and Medusa (a Greek mythological figure). to the end of vehicular traffic on in the IV c. thus residences and hosted Herod, the great King of theater, discovered mostly in XIX c. excava- Such iconography was either proposed or im- the square.

THE DOMUS ON THE EX COSSAR area MAXIMINUS A sesterce An ancient residential zone. After forty years of inactivity in the of Maximinus Thrax area, in 2009 the Department of Archaeology of the University (Rome, 235-236) of Padua resumed excavations in the ex Cossar Area (after the found during excavations in the previous landowner’s name), situated north of Aquileia’s Paleo- domus on the Christian basilica complex and inside the Roman Republican ex Cossar Area. Age city walls. Former excavations, performed by Giovanni Bru- The emperor sin and Luisa Bertacchi, had uncovered a block (insula), bound- died at Aquileia’s ed to the east by a paved road, on which stood at least three defensive walls in 238. houses (domus) with valuable mosaics. Though this area of the ancient city can be visited, not much is known due to the limited EXCAVATION AREA amount of information available. Thus, action has been under- A panoramic view taken to understand the area with regards to functionality and of the ex Cossar Area, architecture for future valorization. The courtyard of the central between the abandoned house (I c. AD) is primarily the subject of the new excavation Cervignano-Aquileia- transforming the river campaign. Here a basin covered in mosaic was connected to a Grado railroad lines into a waterway called complex system of channels interpreted to be a fountain. To the FOUNTAIN. Excavations in 2009 (above, alongside Natissa. Today, along east, a large number of coins and the weight of steelyard have in the courtyard of the main domus in the river port) the ancient river bed been found between the domus and the paved road. All such the ex Cossar Area. In the foreground, and private property. lies an embankment a small outlet channel feeding Excavations (left) offering an findings lead us to believe that shops once stood there. to the mosaic basin in the center in the area began archaeological walk Diana Dobreva Guido Furlan Caterina Previato of the courtyard (I c. AD). early in the XIX c. (the so-called Via Sacra).

THE NECROPOLIS ALONG THE POSTUMIA WAY The burial ground near the road. Among the protection activities undertaken by the Soprinten- denza Archeologica are the investigations north of the residential area (Morona), which took place in the winter of 2009-2010, on a site ready to house a gas station. In the area, near the re- gional road (the ancient Postumia Way), a graveyard and a structure likely to be used for the practice of artisanal activities were uncovered. In the strip of land closer to the road, a walled burial structure was discovered. Inside the structure two cremation tombs had been excavated some time before the first half of the I c. AD, each containing limestone urns with the combusted remains. Rich grave goods in ceramic and glass were then deposited in the two graves. A metallurgical workshop. Behind the graveyard a building was found which contained layers of metal slag. It is thought that a metallurgical shop might have stood there and been active un- til the end of the I c. BC. The remains of the building were utilized to elevate the ground level and put the metal shop to new use. When the building was abandoned, between the I and IV c. AD this strip of land was used as a graveyard, with tombs excavated randomly. Two of the tombs were cremation tombs. They contained no urns but did contain some objects, though of lower standards, compared to those contained in the walled burial structure close to the road. One of the two tombs had a conduit for votive offerings like food and drink. Another three tombs were graves. One in particular contained a wooden coffin lined with lead sheets. This kind of burial had been previously attested in Aquileia with two such findings having been un- covered in its southern graveyard The use of lead, a burial practice of eastern origin, was be- lieved to preserve corpses for eternity. Luciana Mandruzzato

CREMATION AND BURIAL. Cremation tombs (I c. AD) in the graveyard along the Postumia Way, north of the city, for the placing of the urns, with a round cover, and for the grave goods placed outside of the urn. In the other photo, excavations of a grave and discovery of a wooden coffin lined with lead sheets. 9 8 ➝ p. 16 * THE 1950’S Carpet” floor mosaic (II c. AD) in the Christian Basilica. Images mals, the sea God, Neptune in Giovanni Brusin helps installed in a wealthy Imperial of everyday life are later fol- his sea-horse drawn triumphal unearth the peacock Aquileia’s magnificent mosaics mosaic in one the Age domus, featuring an articulate lowed by mythological scenes chariot, or members of the Thi- Aquileian houses in the The great wealth accumulated from commerce composition of colorful flowers, that fill the floors of thermal asus (procession) and of Dio- Beneficio Rizzi Area. led to the execution of many splendid mosaic surfaces rosebuds, bell-shaped stems and baths and of residences. These nysus as well as the personifica- branches in bloom. These deco- feature images of fishing putti, tion of the seasons. rative motifs also became com- Nereids riding imaginary ani- Francesca Ghedini Marta Novello mon in paintings and fabrics. mosaic decorations created with REFINEMENT stone and glass paste tesserae. Liveliness of imagery. Aquile- The mosaic of the so-called ian artisans gave proof of their “Full of flowers Carpet” Creating fashionable motifs. constant evolution in the art of unearthed in the Cassis Both in the National Museum figurative mosaics which culmi- Area (II c. AD). and in the vast archaeological nated in the creation of the fa- areas accessible to the public, mous Christian Basilica floor (IV the wide variety of floors on dis- c. AD). Early examples permeated THE UNSWEPT FLOOR play feature motifs from a rep- by Hellenistic traditions can be Segments of the ertoire of geometrical and figu- seen in the “unswept room” “unswept floor” (asarotos oikos) mosaic rative designs. This originality (“asarotos oikos”) mosaic (I c. BC- (I c. BC-I c. AD), testifies the workforce’s ability I c. AD). This is a copy of the orig- perhaps belonging to follow and innovate the inal by Sosos of Pergamon (II c. to the archaeological context of the ex Cossar trends in Rome and other more BC) and represents the leftovers Area, together with distant areas in the Empire with of a lavish meal on an unswept the mosaic featuring which Aquileia was in contact. floor. Later, the mosaics featured Nereid. The leftovers on the floor from simple representations of do- an unfinished meal Playing with arrangements. mestic crockery, blossomed symbolize the wealth In the beginning, the mosaics branches or images of animals at of the owners dining tables. he incredible number Those commissioning floors employed rigid geometrical de- the center of rigid geometrical (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) MOSAIC FASHION of mosaic floors uncov- for wealthy residences or luxu- signs, but over time came the motifs. In later stages, the repre- Mosaic in the Comelli Area featuring the T ered as of the XIX c. to rious thermal buildings had a gradual introduction of more sentations appear on uniform image of a kantharos date are among Aquileia’s variety to choose from, de- curvy elements loaded with rich backgrounds of color. Conse- (cup). Integrating greatest attractions. Due to the pending on the context: from motifs mostly from plant imag- quently, marine scenes alternate images of pottery GEOMETRICAL within the geometrical variety of mosaics, Aquileian cheaper floors made with terra- es and geometrical shapes. The with scenes of hunting and pow- DESIGNS patterns became artisans reached a high level of cotta tesserae or made of cae- original colors of black and erful images of athletes, wealthy Aquileian mosaic a widespread expertise between the end of menticium (at times embel- white gave way to more colorful patrons (often thought to repre- (IV c. AD) trend between featuring a maze the I and II c. AD. the Republican Age (II c. BC) lished with colorful inserts) to contrasts. A significant result of sent the Good Shepherd) or even from the Ritter Zone. (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) and Late Antiquity (IV c. AD). marble floors and luxurious all this is the “Full of flowers the sponsors of the floor mosaic (Aquileia, Arch. Museum)

MASTERPIECE Mosaic uncovered in the XIX c. featuring the sea-nymph Nereid riding a sea-bull in the company of an Erote holding a lit torch and a triton (I c. BC-I c. AD). The scene seems to be linked with the myth of Europe. (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) 10 ➝ p. 16 11 * nerary sculptures of local pro- case. Opposite is the section An invitation to the National duction, imperial statues of dedicated to Oriental religions: the Julio-Claudian family, and the cult of Antinous, Isis and Archaeological Museum refined Attic sarcophagi. The Mithra is represented in reli- To better understand the ancient Roman city, images of divinities represent re- gious objects and gems from ligious cults but are also testi- Egypt. In the neighboring room the local museum is well worth a visit mony of the way houses and only a small number of glyptic gardens were decorated. On finds are on display. Beside the first floor hangs a bronze them lie bright-colored stones,

GOLDEN FLIES quileia’s glorious past the findings went missing, ed the opening of the Museo Pa- chandelier with a double crown their semi-finished samples as Well-being in an Imperial GREEK MARBLE One of the showcases can be witnessed by its they are documented in three trio della Città (1873-1881). (mid-IV c.) found in the basili- well as imitations in glass paste City. Glass was also crafted lo- The so-called Navarca displaying the grave semi-nude heroic statue goods called “of the A outdoor areas, the basi- volumes of which only one The museum’s patrimony was ca’s four-sided portico. This rare showcasing the craftsmanship cally. The museum houses (I c. BC), unearthed golden flies” coming lica, and two museums – the was ever published: Le antichi- later transferred to the Caesare- find brings to life the Christian that was active as of the I c. BC many samples of glass created together with funerary from a cremation tomb Archaeological Museum and tà di Aquileia profane e sacre per um Museum Aquilejense in 1882 message with its symbolic imag- and perhaps until the IV c. AD. with the ancient grinding tech- materials, inspired found in Beligna, by the statues south of the the Paleo-Christian Museum. la maggior parte finora inedite – a villa with an adjoining gar- es that can also be seen on the This section also features cam- nique as well as samples of of Roman generals ancient city. The need to share with the pu- (Venice, 1739). den which houses today’s Na- oil-lamps and religious objects eos with images of emperors blown glass exported to west- in Tivoli and Capua. blic thus far what has been di- tional Archaeological Museum. on display in the nearby show- and ordinary citizens. ern regions. On the last floor, a above right BOREAS scovered began in the mid- Historical commitment for a sophisticated display of Baltic The head of a wind 1700’s when the Canon Gian museum in Aquileia. Aqui- The finds outdoors. The gar- amber can be viewed. Between appliqué in bronze Domenico Bertoli (1676-1763) leia’s first public museum was den which resembles a XIX c. the I and II c. AD charming THE BLACKSMITH’S of Greek-Hellenic WORKSHOP influence, most likely displayed his collection of fin- opened in 1806. It was housed lapidarium houses funerary trinkets, rings with feminine A blacksmith’s imported to Aquileia dings in his house which is in the ancient baptistery and monuments alongside archi- heads and other complex de- funerary stele and dating to the still standing. Though most of called Museo Eugeniano, in tectural decorations from reli- signs were created as well as (I c. AD), symbolic Republican Age of the liveliness of (II-I c. BC). honor of Italy’s viceroy Eugenio gious and civilian buildings, cases for mirrors and boxes for Aquileia’s artisanship, Beauharnais. Aquileia’s desire mosaic floors from houses and make up. A woman’s world to favored by the nearby center to have a museum starts again thermal baths. The naval sec- which belonged the necklaces iron ores in Noricum GLYPTICS (Austria) that could Green quartz after the city’s Napoleonic pe- tion of the garden the remains and bobbins found in tombs. be reached from with image of the riod and after Austria’s do- of a Roman boat, found in the In the showcase opposite is an- Aquileia by road. punishment of Dirce, minion over the city (until Lacus Timavi in Monfalcone. other feminine display in- a motif from 1918). There was growing in- The museum storehouses are cluding necklaces, bracelets, the Augustan Age and the Julio-Claudian terest in the city’s Roman and along the Natissa River and rings, earrings decorated with dynasty (I c. AD). Christian ruins. Nonetheless, can be visited. They house ter- pearls, lapis lazuli and emeralds preservation laws at the time racotta decorations from Ro- that remind us of the wealth LOCAL craftsmen LIGHTING Urn made of limestone allowed finds of minor im- man temples of the Republi- and imperial role of the city. A bronze chandelier featuring the scene portance to be sold while val- can Age, sculptures, epigraphic The exhibit ends on the last (late IV c. AD) of a funeral banquet. uable ones were to be taken to elements and mosaics. floor, the attic, where coins are called Policandilon One of the many or Jerusalem that lit examples of Aquileian Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches on display, with special focus the Basilica’s craftsmanship Museum. In order to be able Precious collections. Inside on the Aquileian (294-425) Paleo-Christian portico. performed in to keep Aquileia’s finds from the museum a number of re- and patriarchal Mint. Its arms were shaped workshops active like dolphins throughout the past, where they belonged, liefs are on display: images of Franca Maselli Scotti and branches ending the Imperial Age. the citizens themselves request- the foundation of the city, fu- For information call: 0431-91035 with containers for oil. 12 13 ➝ p. 16 * The great Northern Adriatic The city is an emporium for the Illyrian peo- AQUILEIA IN THE PAST ples living along the Danube. They come Hypothetical Art and craftsmanship in Aquileia port complex reconstruction of and get products from the sea, wine that Aquileia - view from the Paintings and sculptures: testimony left behind n the I c. AD many other architectural pro- they put into wooden barrels which they northeast. River port jects were completed in Aquileia. Special haul away onto carriages and oil. Local peo- is in the foreground. Picture by of J.-C. Golvin I attention was dedicated to strengthening ple come to make purchases in exchange for in L’antiquité retrouvée he University of Trieste Museum. The rest now belongs the first findings up to the first the “port system” on the Natiso cum Turro. This slaves, animals and leather”. The city’s com- (Édition Errance). is involved in regular to regional collections, such as World War explains why. One project featured bank T excavation campaigns that of Count Francesco di Top- such archaeologist was Otto walls in Istrian stone*, and projects in Aquileia which po in Buttrio, in the province of Benndorf, founder of the Aus- piers, connections are then discussed during Udine, or to other museums trian Institute of Archaeology. with urban roads, and meetings organized by the such as the City Museum of warehouses with a Centro di Antichità Altoadriati- Valuable local workmen. front of three hundred che in cooperation with the Though Aquileia has always meters. However, the Department of Late Antique been famous for its mosaics, it port system was also and Medieval Sciences of the is less known for its sculptures. connected with minor University of Trieste. For the However, Aquileia has an ex- docks on smaller wa- first time, the topic of Roman traordinary variety of sculp- terways and on naviga- painting in Northern Italy has tures to offer: in terracotta, ble canals north and been linked with Aquileia from the beginning of the west of the urban cent- because of research done on colony, to marble and er. The Anfora Canal the fragments of frescoes Aurisina limestone, used was also part of the sys- found in excavations. in particular for architec- tem: an extraordinary tural and sepulchral sculp- man-made project off A partly dispersed patri- tures. As of the Republican the western edge of the mony. With regards to sculp- Age, thanks to relationships city which extended in MAGIC AMBER Aquileia boasts tures, a project backed by the with other Mediterranean a straight line for six a large production Ministry of Higher Education countries, marble sculptures kilometers and flowed of artifacts in amber and Scientific Research as well came from Greece and Asia into the present-day which came from the commercial as a computerized cataloguing Minor. However, many shops Marano Lagoon. Aqui- exchanges with program in cooperation with were soon established in Aqui- leia’s crucial role as a continental Europe. the Villa Manin Center in Pas- leia producing products such wealthy commercial Amber was believed sariano in the province of Trieste and the City Museum of as statues of mythological sub- crossroads between to have magical power. Udine are under way on the Udine. Yet other fragments can jects, portraits, sculptural fur- the Mediterranean Sea and continental-Bal- mercial wealth had an impact on the eco- WEALTH Among the more Part of a hexagon valuable artifacts subject of antique sculptures be found in European muse- niture, sarcophaguses, inspired kan Europe is documented by thousands of nomic growth of its society. In the I c. AD big with images of animals are rings featuring in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Most ums, in particular in Vienna’s by the models of Greek and finds and confirmed in the geographer Strabo- houses with porticoed courtyards and inter- adorning the mosaic delicately made motifs. fragments come from Aquileia, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Roman workshops. ne’s words: “Aquileia […] can be reached by nal gardens were built and became famous floor featuring a female (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) figure unearthed in 2009 but only a small amount is The presence of Austrian ar- navigating up the Natisone River with com- in the ancient world for their rich mosaic ap- in the house “of the safeguarded in the National chaeologists in Aquileia from Monika Verzár mercial boats for more than sixty stadiums. paratuses. wounded beasts” (IV c.). REALISM Late Republican Age male portrait THE DOMUS “OF THE wounded beastS” (late I c. BC), Four centuries of life. In 2007, the University of Padua resumed investigations on the likely in a funerary context. Worth house “of the wounded beasts”, a wealthy domus in Aquileia’s northern residential noting is the realistic area. The building was first brought to light, though only in part, in the 1960’s when depiction of the face, an emergency survey took place. At first a well-known mosaic floor was uncovered a typical expression featuring images of hunting and wounded animals. Then the area as a whole was in- in Roman portraits. (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) terred. Recent investigations have lead to a first reconstruction of the domus. The house “of the wounded beasts” in all of its uses over the four centuries still shows its wealth. The woman with the roses. The first complex dates back to at least the I c. AD when a series of structures and mosaic floors were discovered dating back to the same pe- THE ART OF GLASS riod. Among these is a black and white floor featuring a reticulated pattern adorned Partial view of the amazing collection with floreal motifs found below other levels. However, the most pompous and well- of glass artifacts preserved stage of the domus is placed in the IV c. At that time the main courtyard (I c. BC and IV c. AD) was decorated with large slabs and with a series of rooms surrounding around it. produced in Aquileian The polychromatic mosaic floors feature geometrical and stylized decorations. In workshops: pieces particular, one of the floors features a standing woman who is likely to have been from the table, containers for spices the home owner. Surrounded by images of fish and birds she holds in her hands a and other vessels. flower bud and a basket of roses. Michele Bueno Marta Novello Monica Salvadori (Aquileia, Arch. Museum) 14 15 ➝ p. 16 * well. During Mark Aurelius’s and Lucius Verus’s though Aquileia was still defined in the IV c. by The authors: J. Bonetto, M. reign (161-169) the city was attacked by the the poet Ausonius as «moenibus et portu celeberri- Salvadori, Associate Profes- sors of Archaeology and of Quads and Marcomanns*. Although their at- ma» (‘famous for its walls and port’), it suffered a Greek and Roman History tacks might have been weak, they still had a trau- decline marked by reduced commercial traffic of Art at the University of matic impact on the city after two centuries of and more frequent battles which destabilized its Padua; M. Bueno, Research AQUILEIA peace and prosperity. Much worse was the usurp- economy. On July 18, 452 Attila succeeded in Fellow at the University of Padua; A. Del Bianco, direc- er Maximunus Thrax’s siege on the area in 238, as siezing the city. The city was violated for the first tor of the Fondazione narrated in detail by Herodian (History of the Em- time in 600 years. This had a heavy impact on Aquileia; D. Dobreva, C. pire 8, 2-6). After restoring the ancient Republi- the city’s architectural and socioeconomic struc- Previato, doctoral candi- can Age city walls which had fallen into disrepair ture. Though life in Aquileia did not come to a dates in Archaeology at the University of Padua; L. Foz- in the pax augustea climate, the population rose halt, the ransacking by the Huns, which too of- zati, Soprintendenza Ar- against the “public enemy” who in the end was ten has been banished by critics as a legend, led cheologica del Friuli Vene- killed by his own army. Thus, the city’s people to the city’s historical and urban decline. From zia Giulia; G. Furlan, Train- “became the defenders and saviors of Italy”. then on, the city grew in the shadow of the reli- ee in classical Archaeology at the University of Padua; This episode changed Aquileia’s role. Through- gious power of the episcopal complex which de- F. Ghedini, full professor of out the IV and half of the V c. in Aquileia there veloped by the IV c. in the southern area of the Archaeology and Greek were assaults and military conflicts among the ancient colony. But this is yet another chapter in and Roman History of Art different factions for control of the empire. Aquile- the millennial history of Aquileia. at the University of Padua; Aquileia in Late Antiquity P. Maggi, L. Mandruzzato, F. NECROPOLIS between crisis and grandeur ia regained its role as a “border city” which it Jacopo Bonetto Cristiano Tiussi Oriolo, C. Tiussi, assistants The so-called had had during the early centuries. However, to the Soprintendenza Ar- Sepolcreto etween the II and III centuries, Aquileia such difficulties did not hinder the start of a new DISTINGUISHED FAMILY. A funerary monument cheologica del Friuli Vene- (end of I to III c. AD), maintained its role as a maritime terminal season of growth and wealth in the IV c. At that of the Aquileian Curii family (I c. AD) rebuilt zia Giulia; F. Maselli Scotti, west of the urban in the garden of the Archaeological Museum. former director of the Na- for traffic along the Adriatic Sea. This led time, following Diocletian’s reforms, the city was center along B It includes a triangular-shaped aedicula fenced tional Museum of Archae- a minor road. to an increase in the construction of buildings as named capital of the province Venetia et Histria off by stone slabs and boundary stones. ology of Aquileia; E. Mur- and became on several occasions the imperial gia, doctoral candidate in residence. This led to the setting up of a Mint in Archaeology at the Univer- the fondazione AQUILEIA sity of Trieste; M. Novello, 294 as well as important construction of grana- postdoctoral fellow at the ries (south of today’s Christian basilica), strategi- Valorization Tool. As provided by the Code of Cultural Landscape and Heritage (art.112), the Fondazione University of Padua and as- cally important to supply the armies on the Dan- Aquileia is a “valorization institution” and one of the first in Italy. The partners are The Ministry of Heritage sistant at the Soprinten- ubian border, the circus, the imperial palace, as and Cultural Activities, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Province of Udine, the City Hall of Aquileia, and denza Archeologica del Fri- the Archdiocese of Gorizia. uli Venezia Giulia; M. Ru- well as the so-called “great baths” commissioned binich, Associate Professor by Constantine (306-337). In the first half of the A role projected in the future. The Foundation was established in 2008 following an agreement between of Archaeology and Histo- IV c., new city walls were built to defend one of the national government and the regional government of Friuli Venezia Giulia which defined the site’s val- ry of Greek and Roman Art the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean ­orization objectives thus confirming the statute and the areas to be included. Among the major objectives at the University of Udine; P. Ventura, archaeologist area. The walls enclosed more urban space to the are the valorization project, the musealization of the archaeological areas, cultural programs, tourism de- velopment programs, the creation of innovative information tools, and the organization of events and director coordinator of the west and south creating an area totaling 85 hec- Soprintendenza Archeo- shows. The Foundation is administered by its Board, having planning tasks, and its Director, both of whom tares of land. In 361 the new walls protected the logica del Friuli Venezia Gi- are supported by the Board of Statutory Auditors and the Supervisory Committee. The Foundation’s activ- city from Julian the Apostate’s* legions. However, ulia; M. Verzár, full profes- ities are funded by means of contributions guaranteed by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Prov- sor of Archaeology and they also reduced the functions of the docks and ince of Udine, in addition to being financed by Arcus s.p.a. Anna Del Bianco Greek and Roman History limited the use of the river port which also suf- Info: 0431-917619 www.fondazioneaquileia.it of Art at the University of fered diversion of the waterway on occasion. Al- Trieste.

*DID YOU KNOW THAT...? *did you know that...? Anastylosis. A technique whereby a ruined in favor of paganism. This act caused him to city. He was the first “barbarian” emperor struction material. Transported largely by lius’s age, they invaded Italy destroying Opi- an uncertain caput viae Rimini, Bologna or building or monument is restored using the be called the Apostate. In 361 he unsuccess- (no citizenship at birth) who had imperial sea, it was used in the construction of public tergium (present day Oderzo in the province of Adria) with Aquileia. Some scholars claim original architectural elements to the great- fully sieged Aquileia by deviating the water- power without ever setting foot in Rome for structures in Aquileia (walls, the port, Anfora Treviso) and putting Aquileia under siege. the road was commissioned in 153 BC by Ti- est degree possible. way that brushed the city walls. his military duties. Canal) and in northern Italy. Triumvirs. Three public officers who formed a tus Annius Luscus, while others claim it was in Roman Republican Age. The period between Insula. A building with several residential Municipium. A title granted to urban centers 131 BC (or in 128 BC) by Titus Annius Rufus. Plinth. A quadrangular stone block upon commission having political and administra- The road reached the city from the North- the institution of the Republican regime in units. Insula also indicates the rectangular where people gained the right to citizenship which parts of a constuction rest. tive tasks. In Aquileia the triumvirs were triumvi- Rome (509 BC) and its evolution into a prin- block between road axes. In Aquileia the (ius romanum). The municipium had its own ri coloniae deducendae, i.e. in charge of func- west. Pluteus (marble relief). A balustrade formed cipality in the Augustan age (end of I c. BC). size of the blocks differed due to variations in statute (lex municipalis) and owned the terri- tions for the establishment of the city. In 181 BC The Postumia Way. A consular road traced by parallelepiped slabs of stone that could be For Aquileia this period falls between its es- the grid road system but also due to the wind- tory as the basis of its economy. Aquileia the triumvirs were Publius Cornelius Scipio Na- by Spurius Postumius Albinus in 148 BC. The decorated with frames or reliefs. tablishment as a colony (181 BC) and the ing river and to how the defensive walls was transformed from colony to municipium sica, Gaius Flaminius, and Lucius Manlius road connected Genoa on the Tirrenean Sea end of the I c. BC. stretched. immediately after the civil war and following Quads and Marcomanns. Northern European Acidinus. In 169 BC in support of the settle- with Aquileia on the Adriatic Sea across the Julian the Apostate (Flavius Claudius Ju- Maximus Thrax (Gaius Julius Verus Maximi- legislation in 90-89 BC. tribes that migrated across a number of eastern ment were Titus Annius Luscus, Publius Decius Po Plains. It had an important role, especially lianus). Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 nus). After rising to the throne in 235, he Istrian stone. A type of impermeable lime- regions (Moravia, Slovacchia, Pannonia) Subulo, and Marcus Cornelius Cethegus. in Venetia, serving as a “defensive road sys- who was acclaimed Augustus by his troops. died at the foot of Aquileia’s defensive walls stone extracted in the Istrian peninsula. It is between the I c. BC and the I c. AD. In the se- The Annia Way. A road was developed in the tem” protecting bordering territories. It He was the last emperor to reject Christianity on May 10, 238 after he failed to siege the white to pale gray and is an excellent con- cond half of the II c. (167-170), in Marcus Aure- II c. BC to connect the Eastern Po plains (from reached Aquileia from the north. 16 17 BETWEEN THE ROMAN WORLD AND THE MIDDLE AGES PATRIARCHAL

AQU ILEIAAfter having been a capital city in the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity the city on the banks of the Natissa River became a powerful Episcopal seat with one of the most beautiful basilica complexes of the Christianity

Texts by Andrea Bellavite Arnaldo Becci Enrico Gallocchio Patrizio Pensabene Alessio Persic Edited by Fondazione Aquileia Photos by Gianluca Baronchelli Enzo Andrian Photo credits Archaeological Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giuliaia Translation by Joanne Baldoni

PALEO-CHRISTIAN COMPLEX. The Basilica of Aquileia, the IV c. octagonal baptistery, and the bell tower commissioned by Poppo. The vast piazza Capitolo – named after the patriarch’s canons – has been restructured marking the perimeter of previous Paleo-Christian constructions with slabs of Aurisina limestone.

18 19 THE GOOD few years after the Edict Patriarchs dignity led to a schism. The complex issue was solved BISHOP HELIAS SHEPHERD of Milan in 313 in Aquileia by the 2nd Council of Constantinople (553) The monogram of The mosaic in the South for the Bishops of Aquileia Bishop Helias in the Hall of the patriarchal stood a basilica with two pa- with the condemnation of a number of state- mosaic of Grado basilica features a rallel halls joined by a third t the beginning of the IV c., Bishop The- ments (the so-called Three Chapters*) made by cathedral, which he shepherd with a sheep hall and by a baptistery with odore built and consecrated the first ba- three Greek fathers. The decision, undersigned consecrated in the VI c. on his shoulders and The church’s dedication another at his feet, an oval-shaped font. There was A silica in Aquileia ‘with the help of God and by the Pope and urged by the Emperor, was to St. Euphemia, martyr looking up at him. also a bishop, Theodore, mentioned in the re- of the herd provided by heaven’ as inscribed on the seen to be in contradiction with the provisions of Chalcedon, was A a decision with which cords of the Council of Arles (314) which he took dedicatory clipeus*. Between 325 and 381 the of the Council of Chalcedon* (451) to below left PATRIARCHAL POWER part in together with Deacon* Agatone. These Aquileian Church witnessed with great intensity which the Church of Aquileia wanted Partial view of the buildings are one of the first Christian structu- the clash between the Nicene orthodoxy* and to adhere. In 579 Bishop Elia conse- Basilica of Aquileia res of its kind, which proves the existence of an Arianism*. This was a time of great uncertainty crated the new Grado cathedral dedi- and its bell tower. In the foreground already organized community. But what happe- due to many existing doubts on doctrinal funda- cating it to St. Euphemia, martyr of is one of the two ned before the Constantinian shift? How did the mentals as well as increasingly strong ties betwe- Chalcedon, and thus confirming his surviving columns Gospel’s first announcement arrive in Aquileia? en religious and political matters. In fact, in 358 distance from Rome’s and Constantin- of the great palace When did a Church of Aquileia come into exi- Fortunatus undersigned the much debated Sir- ople’s positions. of patriarchs built in the XI c. on former stence with its bishop, presbyters and deacons? fluenced the specific Creed in Aquileia. Ac- mium* Creed. On the contrary, his successor, Va- Pressure in favor of reconciliation Roman structures, One of the most important river ports of the cording to tradition, the founder of the Church lerian, opposed such a heresy and in 381 presi- was strong, but immediately after Elia’s inhabited until ancient world developed in Aquileia at the nor- of Aquileia seems to have been Mark the Evange- ded over the Council of Aquileia where Ambrose death what had been acknowledged as the XVI c. and then left in a state of gradual thernmost end of the Adriatic Sea. The river port list, while Hermagoras seems to have been the of Milan led the Bishops to condemn Palladius a single Patriarchate split into two. disrepair until it was in Aquileia was the ideal place for commercial first Bishop. Yet, the first recorded Bishop to the of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, sup- One church had its residence in Grado entirely demolished exchanges and an essential stop along any journey throne was not until 250. Ancient catalogues of porters of Photinus’s pro-Arian ideas. and the other in Aquileia (later, due to in the XVIII c. to the North and East of Europe. Merchants and the martyrs list the names of the many Chris- A time of relative tranquility followed on the the ancient Roman city’s increasingly ROMANIC ART soldiers not only brought with them prosperity tians killed throughout many persecutions. theological front, sealed by Chromatius’s epis- marginal position, Cividale became Frescoes in the Roman but also philosophical and religious ideas. In the Many of the martyrs’ stories are told in the Acta copacy (388-408), but not on the geopolitical the seat of the Longobard Duchy of Fri- Bishop Helias apse created at the time first few centuries of the Christian age, the presen- Martyrum (Acts of the Christian Martyrs), but front. During the V c., increasingly frequent mi- uli). Although the schism came to an end in stressed the position of Patriarch Poppo of the Aquileia Church (mid-XI c.) with ce of gnostic sects*, mysterious cults* and a lively some of them have been confirmed by archaeolo- grations of people brought with them destruc- 699, the two churches each continued to devel- in the theological a Renaissance pulpit Jewish community were witnessed. gy. In San Canzian d’Isonzo (in the province of tion and local inhabitants were forced to flee to op along their own individual paths. The main- debates of the time. in the foreground. To rebuild the life of the first Christian com- Gorizia), a few kilometers east of the city, a num- nearby islands in the lagoon, like Grado. Chro- land church acquired an increasingly impor- To the left are the saints THE ENLIGHTENED Hilarius, Tatian, munity would require a connection with the ber of tombs were discovered which most likely matius’s successors thus contributed to rebuilt tant role within a vast territory in the heart of BISHOP and Mark with the Jewish as well as with the Antenicaean* Fathers’ belonged to the three siblings Cantius, Cantia- churches in Grado and to restoration of the ba- Europe. The church in Grado transfered its in- Chromatius (388-408) Duke of Carinthia exegetical and theological intuitions such as nus and Cantianilla and to their tutor Protus, silica of Aquileia, which became ever more iso- fluence to the sea until the Patriarchate of Veni- announces the Word: and Poppo offering fresco by P.A. Novelli the Virgin Mary Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Anti-gnos- whose story was narrated by the Bishops Venan- lated in the decadent city. Political events and ce was established in 1451 on the ashes of Gra- (1790) in the sacristies a model of the Basilica. tic* beliefs from the second half of the III c. in- tius Fortunatus, Maximus of Turin, and others. theological controversies throughout the VI c. do and of the subordinate Diocese of Castello. of the cathedral in Udine.

CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA The decline of the Classical Age. Chromatius was bishop of Aquileia from 388 to his death during or shortly after the Visigoth invasion of Ala- rico in 408. He was the 5th successor of Bishop Theodore who built the cathedral halls and the famous mosaics. Chromatius contributed to in- creasing the heritage of his immediate predecessors: Fortunatus, head of the Aquileia Church – second only to Rome in terms of dignity – con- tributed with careful mediation to the Catholic resistance against the Arianism promoted by emperors; Valerian, consolidated the Nicene or- thodoxy by presiding over the Aquileia Council (381) to stop the Arian hotbeds of Illyria. Father Chromatius’s resolute voice still echoes from the acts of the Aquileian assembly. Great moral authority. Rufinus from Concordia and Jerome from Stridone tell us about Chromatius’s endeavor in circa 370 which turned him into a master of new spiritual trends: the founding of a monastery (monasterium), “famous for its similarity to a choir of saints” which – as testified by Jerome – gathers clerics and “re- nowned monks” all the way from Syria to join his family. A wide network of friendships spreads thanks to which Chromatius’s au- thority enhances Paleo-Christian culture, especially after the dar- ing translation of the Bible from Jewish by Jerome himself and the spread of Greek-Christian theology and historiography among Latin peoples by Rufinus. Bishop Chromatius distinguishes himself as a preacher and as a commentator, emulating Fortunatus. Only few fragments of his work survive; however, new ground for re- search on the history of Christian Aquileia opens after the French philologists Raymond Etaix and Joseph Lemarié attribute to Chro- matius the writing of Sermons and of Treaties on Matthew, after having been passed on under a false name. Alessio Persic

20 ➝ p. 30 21 * original twin halls which were basilica in the forum were used The magnificent basilica of patriarchs the new attraction among to embellish the new episcopal Aquileian Christianity in Con- hub. The most important and visited monument in Aquileia is the Basilica, stantine’s times. Of the two a stratification of over 2,000 years of history halls, one was likely used for The basilica as we see it. This liturgies while the other pro- structure was short-lived as it vided instruction to the cathe- was pillaged by Attila the Hun INSIDE THE BASILICA or those approaching contained large warehouses for cumens who had yet to be bap- in 452. In particular, the north The mosaic floor Aquileia from across the the storage of goods. The area tized. In spite of the opulence hall was destroyed and never inside the Basilica commissioned F plains that surround it, then acquired a new Christian of the mosaic floors, walls and rebuilt. The south hall and the by Theodore the majestic and symbolic bell identity at the beginning of the ceiling frescoes, the two halls adjoining baptistery were less in what originally tower of the cathedral will ap- IV c., perhaps through the tran- were soon replaced with a damaged. They were left to was the South Hall (early IV c.) pear. A cathedral that has seen sformation of the warehouses. more impressive project (be- worshippers during the Byzan- and the Gothic arches twenty centuries of history. At tween the middle and late IV tine domination. By the begin- commissioned by the foot of the bell tower, exca- Development of the great c.). First, Fortunatianus (342- ning of the IX century, massive Marquard of Randeck (XIV c.). The morning vations in the late XIX c. brou- Paleo-Christian complex. The 357), then Chromatius (388- restoration work was commis- sunlight shines ght to life a highly sophistica- most extraordinary evidence of 408), who were bishops at the sioned by Patriarch Maxentius. on a sector with images ted house (domus) built in the such change is represented by time of Aquileia’s glory days in Materials from previous con- of animals and Gordian knots interwoven Augustan Age. The domus is re- the mosaic floor (about 750 Late Antiquity, contributed to structions were recovered and with two or three cords. presentative of the first use of square meters) which can be tripling the size of the halls fol- the new structure was planned, the area along the banks of the seen immediately upon entry lowing the example of Rome’s still maintained to this day. Natissa River which was pe- into the basilica. As mentioned Christian models, like St. Pe- The transept and the apse were ripheral compared to the heart in the inscription in the mosa- ter’s. A four-sided portico with added and the baptistery was of the Roman colony. In Impe- ic, Bishop Theodore requested the bishop’s residence was isolated from the surrounding rial period (I-III c.) this area it to adorn one of the two built in front of the north hall buildings.

mentioning is the construction the two photos above BAPTISTERIES of the Holy Sepulchre adjacent Remains of the second to the northern aisle in the XI Aquileian baptistery c., at the peak of the crusades. dating back to the mid-IV c. (the first, Final changes date back to the Bishop Theodore’s, 1400’s, with the introduction dates back to before of ogive arches between the 320 and is located below the north wall aisles in late Gothic style car- of the basilica), ried by new elevated and deco- called “atanasian” rated dosserets, and to the after Bishop Atanasius of Alexandria 1500’s, with a wooden keel- who was present at the shaped vault which is still well- consecration of the new preserved today. Aquileian basilica (345) at Fortunatianus’s time. The third baptistery, An extraordinary itinerary. commissioned by In modern times, the site was Chromatius (388-408) damaged, though not heavily, with the hexogonal font and octagonal by Austrian bombing during wall structure. and an octogonal baptistery The majestic Bell Tower is the first World War. Later, ar- was created in front of the built. Most likely after an chaelogical excavations further south hall in place of the for- earthquake in 958, Patriarch changed the appearance of the mer Paleo-Christian one (still Poppo (1019-1042) had the fa- Basilica. This allowed for the left visible) between Bishop Theo- cade of the basilica redone in development of a very appeal- OVERLAP The foundations dore’s two halls. In addition, Romanic style. He also intro- ing itinerary around the com- of the bell tower the floor level was raised, duced new capitals and bases plex. Our next stop is the South commissioned which helped preserve the pre- of Aurisina stone (extracted in Hall, beside the baptistery, by Patriarch Poppo vious mosaic floors, and new nearby Carst). In particular, in with its mosaics from Chroma- (early in the XI c.) on top of Bishop mosaic floors were installed. place of the once north hall, he tius’s times. Theodore’s mosaics Architectural remains, often built the 70-meter tall bell tow- Patrizio Pensabene in what originally marble, from other abandoned er which then became a proto- Enrico Gallocchio used to be the South Hall (early IV c.) public buildings in Aquileia, type for Friulian and Istrian Information on basilica: in the patriarchal like the theater and the civilian constructions to come. Worth 0431-91067 complex of Aquileia.

22 ➝ p. 30 23 * nstalled before 320, the and poles. It is clearly a reli- allegorical representation of the p. facing mosaics from Bishop Theo- gious allegory of death and re- terrestrial and celestial church; VARIETY OF MOTIFS Mosaics for the new religion The floor of what I dore’s age, one of Aquileia’s surrection, but there are also others say there are decorative originally was the North The Aquileia Basilica contains the largest mosaic floor first bishops, cover the floor of baptisimal symbols where the figures or representations in- Hall of the patriarchal the two original halls of catechumen ‘removed’ from spired by gnostic texts. Before basilica features: in the western Christian world a ram with worship (South and North). the font leaves behind him accessing the narrow corridor accompanying The site is where the complex death and enters the Church of between the north wall of the inscription Cyriace of the Basilica as we see it to- those who live forever. Another basilica and the bell tower, the vibas and a battle between a cock day was later erected. evocative image is that of a mosaics feature two baskets, and a tortoise, shepherd with a sheep on his one containing mushrooms a scene symbolizing the The large mosaic floor in shoulders and another at his and the other full of snails. The victory of orthodoxy – the cock crowing at the South Hall. The mosaic is feet looking at him; at his sides, next mosaics are striking for the dawn – over heresy dominated by “Jonah’s story” an antelope and a deer seem to intensity of their colors and – the tortoise seen as in three Paleo-Christian illus- run towards him. In the central perfection: a braying donkey, a an “animal of Tartarus”, ie of the underworld, trations: the sea monster swal- section, the winged Victory is goat with episcopal symbols as its name suggests. lowing the prophet who re- surrounded by human subjects and sultan chickens; they in- fused to preach at Nineveh; Jo- at work. Lastly, and very likely troduce the most fascinating nah thrown onto the beach be- an addition after the Council panel, showing a nest of pat- fore facing his mission; Jonah of Aquileia in 381, is the scene ridges, kids (baby goats) at rest, resting under a shelter after the of a fight between a cock and a and even a ray and a lobster JONAH’S city’s conversion. The scene is tortoise which may refer to the brushing against each other on BIBLICAL STORY Mosaic in the South set in a sea full of fish being Arian controversy. stylized trees. Lastly, there is a Hall of the Basilica caught by fishermen with nets ram with the writing that reads of Aquileia: surrounded The mosaics in the North “Cyriace vibas” above it – per- by a sea full of fish, boats, and fishermen, A MAJESTIC MOSAIC Hall. The mosaics in the North haps an incitement to life ad- the prophet Jonah An extraordinary zenithal view Hall can be seen around the dressed to every “man of the is spit out by of the mosaic floor of the south base of the XI c. bell tower. The Lord” – and again, a lively the sea monster Hall inside the patriarchal and rests under basilica: a surface symbology in the illustrations is scene with a fighting cock and a pergola after of nearly 750 m². complex. Some claim there is an tortoise. A.B. preaching at Nineveh.

24 25 24 25 The long and troubled season outpost in Italy. By 1200, Patriarch Bertrand of The crypt of frescoes below the altar of the Patriarchate Udine became the political, religious, and cul- tural reference point of the Patriarchate. In 1348 “Heroic” images of early Christianity in the crypt commissioned n the last quarter of the millenium, the an earthquake damaged the basilica which was by Patriarch Maxentius to house the martyrs’ relics Aquileian patriarchs on the mainland had restored a few decades later in the Gothic style I their main seat in Cividale with its spiritual, by Patriarch Marquard of Randeck. legal, and missionary functions. First, they at- tempted to reunify the split Patriarchate, but A “society” FOR THE BASILICA stian mystery of salvation from Peter sends Mark to Aquileia, their efforts failed in spite of the many sentences The task of preservation. The management of a basilica like Aquileia’s requires ef- death is told by a dormitio virgi- Mark chooses Hermagoras and legitimizing their authority in the divided seat fort, especially with over 250,000 people visiting it every year. Early in the XX c. nis* as well as by a pictorial cycle takes him to the bi-shop of of Grado. From a judicial point of view, the me- the Archbishop of Gorizia, Mons. Francesco Borgia Sedej started a “society”, ac- of which only the crucifixion, Rome for consecration. The tropolis of Aquileia comprised important dioce- tive until the start of First World War (1915), for the management of the prestigious deposition from the Cross, and new shepherd, Hermagoras, ses like Como, Mantova, Verona, Vicenza, Pa- complex. In 1989 the basilica was provided with a new administrative body cur- burial of Jesus remain. then returns to the city and dua, Treviso, Trento, Belluno, Feltre, Concordia, rently called “Society for the preservation of the basilica of Aquileia”. In juridi- chooses the Deacon Fortunatus Ceneda, Trieste, Capodistria, Parenzo, Pola, Pe- cal terms it is a foundation whose president is currently Mons. Dino De Antoni, The fascinating Marcian Leg- to join him on his mission. Near dena and Emona (Ljubljana). Throughout the Archbishop of Gorizia who appoints the Director and the Board of Directors; to end. Near the central window the central window images of Middle Ages it was the biggest diocese in Euro- protect pastoral functions the pro term parish priest is a member of the Board of Director. The society is part of the Fondazione Aquileia. begins the most “historical” cy- preaching, baptizing, and of pe. In addition, Cividale is where missionaries Arnalda Becci cle illustrating the so-called charity are shown, following Marcian Legend (derived from the pattern adopted in the biog- THE CEMETERY OF HEROES Mark the Evangelist’s name - ed- raphies of ancient founders. itor’s note). It is a story told at the Fortunatus and Hermagoras are The Battles of Isonzo. From the Aquileia bell tower, the fields of First World War battles can be seen. Mount St. Michael, in the province time of “The Three Chapters” envied for their successful of Gorizia, with the hills and Bainsizza highlands were the scene of schism on the right to the patri- preaching and the two are per- the bloody “Isonzo battles” for over two years. Hundreds of thou- THE ORIGINS he crypt below the main archal title over the church of secuted for their religion, sands of casualties... In 1915, during the first stages of the conflict, The Massentian altar in the basilica of Aquileia. The truthfulness of the dragged to court, and thrown Crypt (IX c.) Aquileia was won over by the Italians. In October 1917, following the of the patriarchal T Aquileia was commis- story was never doubted in the into prison. As illustrated with Battle of Caporetto, it returned to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and basilica shows sioned by Patriarch Maxentius Middle Ages to the point where particular realism, their disci- once again, back to the Kingdom of Italy after the peace treaties. scenes depicting in the IX c. to house the relics of Mark was thought to have writ- ples place their bodies into the the Marcian Legend: The “unknown soldier”. The picturesque cemetery behind the apse Peter sends Mark the Aquileian martyrs Herma- ten his Gospel here. The frescoes sepulchre after witnessing their of the patriarchal basilica contains some of the first Italians who fell to Aquileia; goras and Fortunatus. Still to- highlight strong ties with Rome. beheading and burial. to the war on the Carst. The cemetery was desecrated during the Peter’s consecration day it maintains the same fun- Austrians’ reoccupation and after 1919 the cemetery was returned of Bishop Hermagoras to Italy. The bodies of twelve soldiers whose names are unknown are in the presence ction. Two glass showcases di- splay the precious reliquaries also buried there. Maria Bergamas, a Gradisca d’Isonzo woman of Mark; beheading THE GREAT WAR. A partial view of the cemetery which lies of Hermagoras and containing bone fragments. who lost her son to the war chose the eleventh soldier to be taken to behind the Basilica of Aquileia where the tombs of Italian of Deacon Fortunatus; The decorative frescoes – a unique Rome and buried beneath the Altare della Patria (Altar to the Father- soldiers appear. Shown is a statue made by Ettore Ximenes in burial of Hermagoras land) in 1921, who was named the “unknown soldier”. 1917 featuring the Angel of Charity holding up a dying soldier. and Fortunatus. combination of Eastern and A.B. Western Christian art – date back to the second half of the departed from within the limits agreed with the THE FATE OF CHRISTIANITY ON THE FRIGIDUS XII c. The lunettes show scenes bordering metropolis of Salzburg. New churches of redemption while the ceil- will rise, especially among Slavic peoples, Clash between two empires. In 394, between September 5th and 6th, an impor- ing is dedicated to the first bi- thanks to the ancient Aquileian matrix. tant battle was fought 50 km Northeast of Aquileia. The empire was divided into shop and his deacon.The Chri- The patriarchs at the time were as follows: a western part, headed by Flavius Eugenius, supported by the Frankish General Arbogast, and an eastern part, governed by Theodosius I. The two sides’ refusal Paulinus (787-802), a gifted shepherd, assis- to reunite led to a war that came to an end near Aidussina, by the spring of Frigi- tant to Charles, King of the Franks, and poet of dus, present-day Vipacco, which is a tributary of the Isonzo. Aquileia; Maxentius who in the IX c. had strong Religious reasons. Flavius Eugenius and Arbogast leaned towards a return to influence on the patriarchal basilica; Frederick ancient religions, while Theodosius supported Chrisitianity as the only religion who in 921 headed the fight against the invad- of the empire. The way the decisive battle on the Frigidus developed is quite bi- ing Huns in Friuli; Wolfang von Treffen, called zarre. At first, the “westerners”, greater in number and better armed, seemed to Poppo, patriarch from 1019 to 1042, family triumph. But later, the eastern army’s better organization helped Theodosius’s member and minister of Emperor Conrad II troops win, thus finally leading Chrisitianity to establish itself throughout the em- who earned influence on the port and in de- pire. Therefore, Theodosius’s victory at Frigidus is just as meaningful for Christi- fence of Aquileia, and promoted the reconstruc- anity as Constantine’s was at the Milvian Bridge. According to Theodosius, di- tion of the basilica based on German architec- vine intervention at the Frigidus favored him: the “easterners’” fate seemed se- tural styles. cure, but when a strong wind began to blow, it slowed them down and favored In 1077 Emperor Henry IV gave Patriarch the others while launching arrows against their adversaries. In truth, that wind, Sigeard the region as a feudal possession. This called “bora”, often blows along the Frigidus/Vipacco Valley: it is no coinci- dence that the battle in 394 has been known as “the battle of the bora”. was the start of a patriarchal State as an imperial

➝ p. 30 27 26 * COPTIC EUCHARISTIC TABLE. The table was recomposed using the fragments found during excavations in a hall not The Paleo-Christian museum of Monastero too far from the museum. The table featured twelve cavities. This kind of eucharistic table was widely used in the IV c., A monastery built on the remains of a great basilica especially in Egyptian contexts and in the East where its which now houses the finds of early Christianity convivial use was more emphasized than it sacrificial one.

TESTIMONIES. Aquileian epigraphs: a gravestone depicting the baptism of a baby girl (IV c.); Restutus’s gravestone (likely V c.), the African who died in Aquileia where he found ‘more than his own parents’.

A BASILICA hamlet in Aquileia still silica with a double layer of mosaic Extraordinary epigraphic finds. symbols that worshippers dedi- REDISCOVERED bears the name of Mo- floors. The mosaic floors existed The entrance houses a Coptic ta- cated to their loved ones at The great hall of Monastero A nastero recalling the before the establishment of ble (IV c.) with the twelve apos- death. Very meaningful is the which houses convent of Benedictine nuns, da- the monastery. The first lay- tles’ seats, recalling an eastern epigraph of Restutus who ‘came Aquileia’s Paleo- ting back to the IX c. until its sup- er dates back to about version of the Last Supper in from Africa to learn about this Christian museum. The excavations pression by the Austrian empe- 345 while the sec- which its convivial significance city’ and who ‘would have liked brought to light ror Joseph II. The building fell in- ond layer about a prevails over its sacrificial one. to return to his home country’ a basilica that dates to decay and was then used as a century later. A On the first floor there is a grave- but instead was affected by a back to the IV c. effaced by the storehouse for agricultural pro- panoramic view stone with images of baptism deadly disease and ‘went Benedictine convent ducts until the early XX c. of the entire ba- (IV c.), covered in Trinitarian through great pain as he was in the IX c. silica hall is pos- and Christological symbols, not able to see his loved ones’; in PETER AND PAUL An ancient basilica comes sible from atop and an unfinished relief of Peter Aquileia, however, ‘he was much Incomplete relief back to light. Use of the build- the two floors and Paul exchanging a gesture loved, more than his parents depicting two apostles ing as a museum dates back to built to put the of reconciliation. The finds on had ever loved him’. A.B. embracing (IV c.), discovered near 1961. Excavations followed lead- gravestones on the second floor are about early For information on museum: Monastero. ing to the discovery of a large ba- display. Christians, with writings and 0431-91016

Another rich building of wor- ship. The first floor houses the THE long CONCLUSION OF A REMARKABLE HISTORY mosaic from the basilica’s apse. Aquileia in Late Antiquity. In the IV c. Aquileia was a big port city, a crossroads and the seat of the Venetia et Histria government. Though It was previously located in the its geographical position had favored its expansion, it was also the reason for its demise. In 401 it was invaded by King Alaric and the district of Ca’ Tullio, also named Visigoths. During the crisis that followed, the city’s defensive walls were not able to stop the advancement of people and warlords coming “of Beligna” as it is likely to have from the East. In 452 the invasion of the Huns and the conquest of Aquileia by Attila left a permanent mark making Attila a symbol of been built on a temple dedicated catastrophe in popular Friulian tradition. THE MISSING to Belenus*. The scene depicts a Medieval Aquileia. After 476 (the end of the western Roman Empire), Aquileia experiences a recovery, at least until 568 when the Lom- BASILICA garden with twelve lambs graz- bard King Alboin annexes the city to the Duchy of Friuli, having Cividale as its capital city. After the governing offices were transferred, Details of the mosaic ing and a lovely peacock, per- Aquileia was abandoned at length. Antique structures fell into disrepair and were turned into stone-pits for the construction of new build- floor in the apse of the Aquileian basilica haps symbolizing Christ sur- ings. Invasions from the Avari around 780 shook an already upset city. In the IX c., after joining the Sacred Roman Empire, once again called “of Beligna” rounded by the apostles. Thus, Aquileia came back to life, at least in terms of religious institutions. Thanks to Charlesmagne’s and the German emperors’ support, Friuli (end of the IV c.): this is thought to have been the became an outpost in the heart of Europe. In 1077 Henry IV granted independence to what then became “the Friuli State” with Patriarch the peacock symbolizes Sigeard at its head. The temporal power of the patriarchs lasted for three centuries, until 1420, when Aquileia was incorporated in the resurrection basilica of “the Apostles”, built Republic of Venice. and immortality. in Aquileia around 390. A.B.

28 ➝ p. 30 29 * facing The patriarchs’ temporal power zia (1752) and Udine (1753). TRADITION The Church of Aquileia thus becomes the of- The Church comes to an end of St. Mark at Belvedere ficial episcopal seat for non-residential bishops, in Aquileia. enice’s occupation of Friuli in 1420 si- while the territory of the small, but lively, Fri- According to tradition, gnals the end of the patriarchs’ temporal ulian town houses a parochial community the evangelist disembarked here V power. Though the Patriarchate survives which preserves 2,000 years of Christian tradi- to preach the Gospel. in its pastoral functions and for its worshippers, tions. patriarchs are chosen in faraway Venice. As the Andrea Bellavite Patriarchate is partly located on the territory of right the Empire, the Patriarch has difficulty control- NATURALISM The authors: A. Becci, director of the Society for the pre- Detail of the mosaic ling the situation in more distant territories. The servation of the Basilica of Aquileia; A. Bellavite, professor in the South Hall matter grows thornier until the seal Iniuncta no- of Fundamental Theology at the Theological Faculty of of the basilica depicting bis is issued by Benedict XIV on July 6, 1751. Triveneto; E. Gallocchio and P. Pensabene, Univeristy of Ro- Jonah’s story: me “La Sapienza”; A. Persic, professor of Patrology at the a big octopus and This marks the end of the Patriarchate of Aquile- Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Milan and at the a shell or sea urchin. ia whose legacy goes to the Archdiocese of Gori- University of Udine.

GRANDEUR. The facade of the basilica, worked over in the XIV c. The imposing bell tower THE AQUILEIA FOUNDATION’S EFFORT was an architectural model for many churches A complex archaeological reality. An excavated site, in view for dozens of hectares, here and there, in a sparsely populated area, sub- in the Northern Adriactic region. ject to investigations for a whole century is of considerable importance from a scientific point of view, but not easy to manage – neither for the central government, which is having a hard time administering it, nor for the Town Hall, unwilling to accept it the status quo, nor the regional government, which cannot give up the chance for development. A new cultural project for the city. The Fondazione Aquileia was established to find a solution to the problems above. Competencies and resources from all the actors in play (Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Province of Udine, the Town Hall of Aquileia) were brought together with the private sector. The Foundation’s objectives are many, but in sum Aqui- leia needs to be relaunched by means of a cultural project. It needs to be provided with structures that can help it grow, not limit its de- velopment. It needs to be a city of archaeology, not just a quick getaway destination A patrimony to offer. The archaeological patrimony needs to be modernized. The right perception of what the ancient Roman center used to be like can only be had by arousing interest through a variety of structural and technological interventions. This cannot happen without involving the local community and getting local institutions’ support. The city needs a shared project to exploit its cultural role, but also to create job opportunities, both in maintaining and restoring the site as well as in benefiting from and enjoying it. The area is becoming a giant archaeological site for universities and postgraduate schools. Thanks to the site’s half million visitors so far, the tourism industry will identify opportunities to turn an hour-long visit into a better organized and lengthy stay.

Alviano Scarel - President of the Fondazione Aquileia www.fondazioneaquileia.it

*DID YOU KNOW THAT...? *DID YOU KNOW THAT...? Belenus. One of the most ancient Celtic deities. Shining and bright, Be- Chalcedonian Definition. Council of Chalcedon in 451 in the city of Christ the Son came into existence to free humanity from death. Arius’ (325). They included apostolic fathers (late I c. and early II c.) and lenus protected sheep and livestock. Martyr Euphemia which repudiated the notion of a single nature in ideas were condemned by the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Coun- those who witnessed the apostles’ preachings. In the following peri- Clipeus. A round shield. In Roman and Medieval Art the term referred Christ, and declared that he has two natures in one person and also in- cil of Constantinople (381), yet they influenced his believers for a long od, the writings by Irenaeus of Lyon (130-202) had great influence to portraits, scenes and inscriptions inside a circle. sisted on the completeness of his two natures: Godhead and man- time. on the “errors” of the gnostic teachings of the time while those by hood. Origen of Alexandria (185-254) fixed the criteria for the exegesis of Council of Aquileia. An assembly of bishops presided by Valerian of Photinus. Bishop of Sirmium in the IV c. whose heresy was regarded the Holy Scriptures. Aquileia and led by Ambrose of Milan gathered on September 3, 381 Deacon. ‘Servant’ in Greek (diákonos). In the Christian Church, a with aversion by many anti-Arian synods. Photinus held that Jesus was to sentence the last supporters of Arianism in the Roman West. member of the clerical order, just below the bishop and presbyter. adopted as “the Son of God” upon his baptisim in the Jordan River. Patriarchate. A diocese founded by any of the apostles or by someone Their main tasks being to assist in administrative duties and to serve the in their circle. Aquileia’s Patriarchate started in the VI c. and the Church Anti-gnostic controversies. The position of Christain writers against Gnosticism. A collection of ancient religions that spread in the Mediter- poor and outcast. of Aquileia is claimed to have been founded by Mark the Evangelist. those who proposed a radical distinction between matter, soul, and ranean area between the I c. BC and the III c. AD. A common charac- spirit. An effort in the name of “the Resurrection of the Body” to shun Tale of the Dormition of the Virgin (Dormitio virginis). According to the teristic of these groups is the teaching of knowledge (gnosis) which Presbyterian. Meaning ‘elderly man’ in Greek (presbyteros). He who the spiritual view of salvation. apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, Mary’s death was witnessed by the man can reach in stages by shunning the material world. The objective in the early churches presided over the life of early congregations. same apostles who saw the rise of Christ with a baby girl in his arms. of true gnosis is happiness. Creed of Sirmium. A document that focused in the belief in the relation- Second in the rank of holy orders, between the bishop and the deacon. Some theologists claim the baby girl was the “soul” of the Mother of Je- ship between God the Father and the Son of God in the Trinity. Under- Nicene orthodoxy. The first Council of Nicaea (325), convened re- Schism of “the three Chapters”. The controversy began when the sus while others claim was Creation freed from death. signed by Pope Liberius and other bishops in Sirmium (present-day garding Arius’s preachings, established that the Son of God is of the Church of Aquileia rejected the sentence of the 2nd Council of Constan- Sremska Mitrovica, near Belgrade) in 358. Edict of Milan. Issued in 313 by Constantine establishing religious same substance as God the Father. This definition livened the debate tinople (553) which condemned the writings of Theodore of Mopsues- toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire. Mystery religions. Religious beliefs brought from the East by soldiers which continued in the Council of Constantinople (381) when disa- tia, Theodoret of Cyr, and Ibas of Edessa. The three fathers were ac- and Roman merchants. Initiation practices introduced initiates into Arianism. A Christian heresy proposed by the priest Arius who lived greements were resolved and the Creed was promulgated. cused of highlighting the distinction between Christ’s human and di- mysteries that provided a strong sense of belonging. The Belenus and early in the IV c. in Alexandria in Egypt. Arius’s basic premise was that Ante-Nicene Fathers. The Church fathers who preached and wrote vine will and nature. The schism ended in 699 when the Church of Aq- Mithras cults, associated with light and the Sun, were the better known. God is unique and that the Son is similar to God but not the same. from the beginning of Christianity down to the Council of Nicaea uileia combined with the Church of Rome. 30 31 CIVILIZATON AND RECOVERIES

quileia’s reality will never derstanding and valorizing the patrimony of this stop surprising us with exciting extraordinary Roman city. In particular, in the discoveries. Thanks to the goodwill state-owned area called the ex Cossar Estates of the Fondazione Aquileia, the sci- (named after its previous owner), just up the road BACK TO AQUILEIA entific supervision of the Soprin- from piazza Capitolo dominated by the huge ba- tendenza per i Beni Archeologici silica, work has been intensified thanks to the Valo- delA Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the involvement of a rization Project financed by the Fondazione Aqui- wide array of universities, in 2010 and 2011 a num- leia. The Project is now in the process of being an ancient town is born ber of restoration and excavation sites were opened finalized following the recent closing of the Con- giving way to a major breakthrough towards un- test for the Proposal of Ideas.

RESTORATION. The inside of the South Hall of Aquileia’s Paleo-Christian baptistery during the floor restoration stage. First an ancient Roman colony and then a seat of the patriarchy In the background, on the wall, the peacock mosaic (late IV c. - early V c.) coming from the basilica’s narthex. at the northeastern end of the peninsula, Aquileia keeps surprising us thanks to the excavations and valorization projects in process Here are the extraordinary results of the work in the shadow of the Paleo-Christian basilica

Texts by Jacopo Bonetto Maurizia De Min Pierluigi Grandinetti Marta Novello Marco Santi Alviano Scarel Cristiano Tiussi Giovanni Tortelli Eugenio Vassallo Photos by Gianluca Baronchelli Translation by Joanne Baldoni

32 33 pp. 36-37 An amazing domus chase of a plot of land neighboring the state- valorization and reconstruction projects. DOMUS FROM ABOVE owned area. This was an opportunity to explore Meanwhile, cement platforms created in the The articulation of the in the ex Cossar Area Roman domus in the the house all the way up to a second road that 1960’s have been removed from the ancient Cossar Area after the 2011 he excavations under the supervision of bounded the area to the west. Thus, it was later ruins so the mosaics covering them can be excavation campaigns. the University of Padua and the Soprin- determined that the large Aquileian domus displayed on site. The platforms have proven right and facing page T tendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia stood on an area of over 1,300 square meters to be inappropriate for the modern preserva- THE EXCAVATIONS Giulia, first identified the connection between and occupied an entire strip of the block between tion and fruition of the remains. The main ob- Archaeologists at work the large Roman domus, in the middle of today’s the two roads, one to the east and the other to jective of the project is to cover the area of the while excavating the domus in the ex Cossar Area. state-owned area, and the ancient road to its the west. In the broad western section, excava- domus and integrate evidence of the initial in- And restorers’ drawing east. Along it was a wide strip of land where tions led to the identification of intact portions stallation stage of the house (I c. AD) together before removal commercial activities were likely managed by of the Early Middle Ages phase (VI-VIII c.) with traces of its transformations over the III- of the mosaics. the owner of the luxurious house. The original which had been removed almost entirely during IV c. In addition to the above, a second in- two photos below installation of the house dates back to the I c. previous excavations with a goal to reach the vestigation process has recently begun in the THE ANALYSIS AD. Other important evidence arose from the mosaic floors of the Roman period. This pre- southeastern corner of the state-owned ex Cos- Stages of documentation following investigations on the mosaic areas cious evidence helped rebuild, at least to some sar Area to uncover the remains of the city during excavations of the domus. A coin around the main garden of the domus, where degree, the sequence of historical events of set- walls from the Roman Republican Age (II c. has just been found: lavish decorations and waterworks dating back tlements that followed Attila’s siege in 452. BC). The defensive tower of the same period a Maxentius follis from to the same period were uncovered. The more Further excavations are expected to take place was roughly identified during former excava- the second workshop of Aquileia’s Mint, relevant news regarding the studies of this do- in every section of the domus with a goal to tions in 1930. dating back to 307 AD. mus came with the Fondazione Aquileia’s pur- create a plan of the building to support the Jacopo Bonetto

PROJECT IDEA FOR THE COSSAR area The archaeological area of the domus. Archaeology, architecture, which will be transformed into a visitors’ center. From here it continues landscape, preservation, valorization, and making known are all along the “valley” of the archaeological area of the domus (ex Cossar topics we have acknowledged as key in the Fondazione Aquileia’s Area) which has been appropriately reorganized and valorized to Contest for the Proposal of Ideas in the ex Cossar Area, as well as in highlight its character as a Roman block of houses. Here stand the our winning project. We set up a series of standards capable of: “della Pesca” domus, recreated in its constituent elements in the form guaranteeing the preservation of the ruins; acknowledging them of a museum with a system of footpaths and roofing, and the “Domus as living testimony of a distant past; guaranteeing accessibility to system”, replicable in similar sites. Access to the domus area is also pos- and fruition of the area. We are well aware of the complex stratifica- sible from the defensive tower and the Republican walls, which have tion of the area’s signs and features as well as their connection with been recreated observing “green architecture” building criteria, by nature. Additionally, we have outlined a hypothesis that links with means of the present day Cervignano-Grado bike trail. Sloping the new results in archaeological research. grassy areas and plant species from the Roman age enhance the area. An articulate system of itineraries. The project envisions a system of By valorizing its historical symbols, the site acquires a new identity. itineraries that connect the Basilica with the Violin Barn complex Maurizio De Min Periluigi Grandinetti Eugenio Vassallo

34 35 36 37 right and below right The Violin Barn area: a paved outdoor space. To build this episco- facing page and on this page POLYCHROMATIC pal complex, a former building of the early IV MAGNIFICENT FLOOR the mosaics under the ruins MOSAICS View from the top c. had been demolished. Fortunately, the mo- Details of the mosaics of the apsed hall n a multi-layered archaeological area saic floor was spared. Thus, most of the large in the apsed hall uncovered in the Violin such as Aquileia’s, urban excavations will hall with the semicircular apse was brought constructed with Barn area in Aquileia. precious marble A magnificent I always lead to surprises. Even more so to light. The mosaics, protected by debris de- tesserae in different polychromatic when the area in question is only a few steps rived from the demolitions, show their an- colors similar to those floor features fish, away from the basilica complex and its im- cient splendor. Beside the mosaics are the re- of the floor in the branches in bloom, nearby Theodorian baskets and vessels posing Romanic bell tower. Within the Pro- mains of the frescoed plasters – recovered Basilica. The mosaics containing fruit. ject for the requalification of the area be- from the floor – which provide a comprehen- feature fish and shells, The original mosaics tween the archaeological sites of the Pasqua- sive view of the hall’s decorative system. What khantaros, a cup full in the apse recall of fruit and a pheasant. hanging drapes with lis and the ex Cossar Estates, a small green was the function of the building that con- elegantly shaded public area called Violin Barn, on the north tained this hall? We have formulated two hy- folds (early IV c.). end of Capitolo Square (opposite the basili- potheses: it might have been the private resi- Below, the apsed hall near piazza Capitolo ca) was investigated. Two construction sta- dence of a wealthy owner, perhaps attracted upon being discovered. ges were identified under the modern and by its vicinity to the first basilical complex of medieval levels. The most recent stage (late the same period, or the hall might have been IV c.-early V c.) featured a badly preserved part of rooms connected with the early-Chris- mosaic surface similar in size to the complex tian religious complex of Aquileia, commis- that had already been brought to light fifty sioned by Bishop Theodore in the years fol- below years earlier by the archaeologist Luisa lowing the Edict of Constantine (313). AT WORK Archaeologists Bertacchi. It was determined to be a part of Though both hypotheses are fascinating, an and restorers working Aquileia’s bishop’s residence. To the west, overall analysis of the structures and remains on the mosaic from this Late Antiquity complex was bounded by shall provide the answer. the apsed hall brought back to light in the a wall – entirely removed and utilized as con- Violin Barn complex. struction material – beyond which there was Cristiano Tiussi

THE MOSAICS IN THE VIOLIN BARN (STALLA VIOLIN) Bishop Theodore’s times. The IV c. mosaic floor brought to light in Painted walls of the apse. The decorations on the apse were ap- Aquileia in the Violin Barn area is closely linked to the magnificent pealing. After falling off the apse and onto the mosaic floor, what mosaic in the nearby Paleo-Christian basilica complex commis- remains today are segments with decorations on a red back- sioned by Bishoop Theodore at the start of the IV c. They date to the ground and adorned with vine branches. The multi-colored and same period and also most likely shared the same workforce. linear decorations within featured a motif that was very popular in Repertoire of the times. The quadrangular space in the hall is di- the IV c., especially in the mosaics found in North Africa. The motif vided into three wide areas juxtaposed by geometrical lines and featured hanging drapes, once used to decorate apse basins, in decorated with widely spread motifs from the repertoire of the time combination with an open valve having curvy edges which in the which include birds, grapes, pots full of fruit, branches in bloom or Aquileian version is rounded in the middle to evoke the image of a full of fruits, fish, an octopus, a ray and two shells. bird’s head.

38 39 on the two pages Mosaics in the South Hall began thanks to the Austrian Count Karl von 408 AD) role was fundamental. All such inter- inside the new protective structure. Its decora- ➝ In particular, SOUTH HALL Lanckoronski who brought to light the sophisti- ventions led to the gradual building of two large tions recall Aquileia’s widely witnessed motifs an octagonal mosaic Partial and total views of the baptistery floor featuring of the South Hall cated mosaic floors in the series of halls used for basilicas having three naves preceded by a long from between the late IV c. and early V c. The a sheep and the big of Aquileia’s Paleo- aving the mosaics on display in the liturgical services around the baptistery. Their narthex (the space reserved to catechumens and decorations of the basilica in Monastery and hall housing Christian baptistery South Hall (Südhalle) of the baptistery construction can be included in the long trans- penitents) and a four-sided portico. The mosaic the bishop’s residence feature similar motifs. the sarcophagi at the end of the as well as the peacock recent musealization H crowns a long season of research and formation process of the Theodorian basilica in the South Hall of the baptistery is divided in- The geometrical lines in hues of red and gray mosaic from the process. ➝ studies which began at the end of the XIX c. It all complex in which Bishop Chromatius’s (388- to three rectangular sections which can be seen are embellished in the central panel ➝ p. 44 basilical narthex.

THE SOUTH HALL OF THE BAPTISTERY Restoration and valorization. In 2003 the International Contest structure has been created for the preservation and fruition of for the organization of the areas surrounding the Basilica Com- what remains of its IV c. floor. The appearance of the structure and plex and for the musealization of the South Hall of Aquileia’s Bap- the methodological approach adopted to build it are expressive tistery was won by Tortelli Frassoni Architects & Associates. It gave of our times: the outside was built with traditional construction way to an important project which favored a beneficial synergy materials (bricks and Muggia sandstone bound with lime mor- between archaeology and architecture. The project’s main thread is tar); inside, more peculiar materials were used (such as powder- based on the best regard of the archaeological remains. coated metal) to cover the walls and ceiling in order to make the Ancient plans. On the surface of the pedestrian piazza Capitolo geometrical spaces less noticeable and to draw attention to the floor, the white stone outlines the perimeter of the large post-Theo- mosaic remains instead. dorian four-sided portico (constructed after the basilica’s original Invitation to the South Hall. Access to the South Hall is through one building commissioned by Bishop Theodore in the early IV c. - editor’s of the original openings of the baptistery which had been walled note), the North Hall of the baptistery (Nordhalle, as it was named in the XIX c. Visitors may view the mosaic remains from an elevat- after the first excavation campaign in the late XIX c.) and the basi- ed platform made of iron and split stone. From the platform visi- lical narthex. Similarly, a plan of the granaries (horrea) on Patri- tors will rule over the entire surface of the hall. Also, through a big archs Square, evidence of which existed above ground until the glass wall visitors will have a view of the portico and the facade of XVIII c., can be identified on the surface, seemingly in control of the basilica. Inside, on the Western wall, appears the amazing the empty space south of the basilica. “peacock” mosaic created during Chromatius’s era in the apse of Archaeology and urban context. The link between archaeological the narthex. Lastly, the scientific and museographic organization preservation and urban context has been much more intricate for features a few recycled, inscribed and reworked Christian sar- the South Hall of the Baptistery (or Südhalle by Lanckoronski) – cophagi on display on top of gray sandstone platforms. The sar- commissioned by Bishop Cromatius (388-408) – due to its short cophagi are likely to pertain to the basilica area as they date distance from the basilica complex and to its strong image. A back to the same period. Giovanni Tortelli

40 41 facing page RESTORING MOSAIC FLOORS MOSAICISTS TODAY Restoration Valuable finds of the early XX c. Restoring the mosaics in the South Hall (Südhalle) of Aquileia’s baptistery first of the mosaic floor involved understanding the documents published by the scholar Karl von Lanckoronski in 1906. By comparing in the South Hall XX c. blueprints with the situation today, it is clear that parts of the mosaics have been lost. The delicate work, of the baptistery assigned to the experts of the Gruppo Mosaicisti di Ravenna and supervised by the project architects and the (late IV c.-early V c.). Soprintendenza Archeologica del Friuli Venezia Giulia, was performed keeping in mind the opportunity to two photos below recreate the original mosaic decorations referring back to the drawings available from the last century. INCORRUPTIBLE Accurate underlevel interventions. Many original tesserae have been recovered in excavations performed The peacock mosaic (late IV c.-early V c.) in the year 2000. A study of the tesserae has confirmed that only local stone (aurisina, granitello, nero del during excavations and vallone) and clay (brick fragments) with red and yellow hues were used. Thanks to the Austrian drawings, extraction from the some of the decorative geometrical elements in the central area of the floor mosaic as well as the edging narthex of Aquileia’s featuring flowered ornamental acanthus leaves have been recreated. However, small sections of the com- basilica. The peacock mosaic after restoration. plex geometrical designs were missing and have been replaced. Another important project involved un- For Christians, earthing fragments of mosaic installed on supporting bases of cement which had been removed to create peacocks symbolized channels for the draining of water from the basilica complex. Some fragments were found on site but out of resurrection for the place while others were preserved in the warehouses. cyclical regeneration of their feathers Filling the gaps. Lastly, gaps in the mosaic floor were filled, especially in the western area of the site, by repro- in spring and for their ducing the main geometrical lines into which the three sections of the floor were divided. For incorruptible meat. teaching purposes this was done below the level of the original mosaic and in different hues of color. The same method was adopted for the mosaic fragment from the narthex featuring the image of the open-tailed peacock. This involved unearthing the fragment on site, removing the supporting cement base from be- neath the fragment recovered in XIX c., placing the latter on hon- eycomb panels and completing the original composition follow- ing the drawings dating back to the early XX c. Marco Santi

42 43 THE PROJECT ➝ with figurative elements like images of designs and plants articulating the composi- twigs, the fragment features a peacock with open the basilical complex is symbolic. In pre-Chris- ➝ Competition Rendering of the sheep and metal vessels full of fruit; on the con- tion. On display inside the structure is also a pre- feathers on a tuft of acanthus created with poly- tian times it was widely used as being auspicious of Ideas for “domus system”, the valorization i.e. part of the project trary, the eastern section, edged with a refined cious mosaic fragment belonging the narthex chrome glass paste or sometimes golden tesser- in meaning. Peacocks evoked concepts of im- of the ex Cossar Area. which won the ➝ shoot in bloom, features a variety of geometrical floor. Surrounded by a composition of vine ae. The meaning of the image of the peacock in mortality because of the cyclical regeneration of their feathers in spring and because of the leg- end told by St. Augustine on its non-corruptible meat. Thus, the image of the peacock became a symbol of resurrection among Christians. Marta Novello

The authors: J. Bonetto, associate professor of Archaeol- ogy and History of Greek and Roman art at the Univer- sity of Padua; M. De Min, archaeologist; P. Grandinetti, center full professor of Architectural Composition at the IUAV INAUGURATION University of Venice; M. Novello, archaeologist; M. San- Inside the South Hall ti, president and founder and art director of the Gruppo during the recent Mosaicisti di Ravenna; C. Tiussi, archaeologist (Arxè - inauguration ceremony Trieste); G. Tortelli, architect (Tortelli Frassoni Archi- with the participation tects & Associates), project coordinator and supervisor of Friulian bishops of the Süd Halle; E. Vassallo, full professor of architec- and members tural restoration at the IUAV University of Venice, win- of the diocese which ner of the Competition for the valorization of the Cos- once belonged to sar Area together with M. De Min and P. Grandinetti. Aquileia’s Patriarcate.

AQUILEIA’S LONG HISTORY THE Fondazione Aquileia FOR ITS CITIZENS From village huts to a Roman colony. Around the IX c. BC, on the Aquileia became the main hub for transporting goods between the Lessons of culture. The most efficient way to preserve a cultural patri- ological, historical and paleontological research will be shown in marshlands that lay along the ancient Natisone and Isonzo Rivers, Mediterranean area and continental Europe. As such, it gained mony is to share the knowledge of the archaeological site by the ancient Roman city which has been listed as a UNESCO World grew a village with huts made of wood, hay and clay. Between 186 great importance and wealth that shows in its public and private making it accessible to all citizens and educating the youth in cul- Heritage site. In the evenings, discussions with writers, scholars and and 183 BC, a series of invasions from Celtic populations from be- buildings. Situated along the left bank of the Natisone and Torre ture. Being aware of this, in addition to its valorization projects the archaeologists will offer an opportunity to deepen one’s knowledge yond the Julian and Carnic Alps determined Rome’s intervention to Rivers, Aquileia was surrounded by imposing city walls made of Fondazione Aquileia organizes events to promote knowledge of the on such topics. For children aged 3-10, Aquileia’s Lab in conjunc- support Aquileia. Therefore, as narrated by Titus Livius in 181 BC a stone and bricks. The city was divided into a grid of roads and had ancient city. In partnerships with other important cultural institutions, tion with the Science Center ‘Immaginario Scientifico’ will continue Roman colony was established as a military district and merchant a porticoed square, 400 meters of piers and many religious, mer- the events target a variety of users ranging from adults with a pas- with their calendar of events with recreational and didactic activi- hub on an area bordering with both the Roman world and the Bal- chant and manufacturing buildings. Lavish houses with amazing sion for archaeology to children and their families by involving them ties based on the life of the ancient Romans. Kneading “ancient” kan-Danubian universe. The colony had 3,000 foot soldiers (1,500 mosaic floors stood everywhere. in multi-disciplinary activities. bread, painting with natural colors, playing with Astragaloi (Knuck- more joined in 169 BC) and an unspecified number of centurions lebones) or dressing up as Jupiter or Venus are ways of learning Famous for its walls and port. After centuries of productive urban For the young and old. The most popular event is the Aquileia Film and knights. more about the origins and understanding of what life was like in life (I c. BC-II c. AD) and following visits by Julius Caesar and Octa- Festival, organized in cooperation with Archeologia Viva and Rove- Aquileia at the time of its establishment, back in 181 BC. Extraordinary urban development. The city was connected to the vian Augustus, the city was met by usurpers and invaders from the reto’s International Archaeological Film Festival (Rassegna inter- Alviano Scarel - President of the Fondazione Aquileia Italian peninsula by means of the Postumia Way (148 BC) and East. Worth remembering is Maximinus Thrax’s siege in 238, warded nazionale del cinema archeologico di Rovereto). On July 27-29 a the Annia Way (153-128 BC), to the transalpine regions through off by the Aquileians, or Julian the Apostate’s in 361, crippled selection of international documentary films on the topics of archae- For more information: www.fondazioneaquileia.it mountain passes, and to the Marano Lagoon and the Adriatic by the defensive walls that had been built a few decades earlier. Sea by means of the man-made Anfora Canal. Thus, in the I c. BC The difficult climate, however, did not stop Aquileia from rising AQUILEIA. The great again in the IV c. It was made capital of Venice and Istria (Venetia et Paleo-Christian Basilica with its bell tower, Histria) following the reforms passed by Diocletian who doubled the Baptistery, the number of provinces and on serveral occasions became the and the South Hall. seat of the imperial residence. To poet Ausonius’s (about 310-395) eyes, Aquileia appeared as one of the biggest cities in the Mediter- ranean: “moenibus et portu celeberrima”. Attila’s sacking. The introduction of freedom of religion, which stopped the persecution of Christians, gave a boost to urban devel- opment. At the start of the IV c., great works such as piazza Capito- lo and the basilica were commissioned by Bishop Theodore. How- ever, after 600 years of peace, on July 18, 452, Aquileia was sacked and conquered by Attila and the Huns. This led to heavy consequences on the city’s architectural and socio-economic growth. Life in the city went on, but the event, often described as a legend, marked a turning point in Aquileia’s historical and urban growth.

THE POPE’S VISIT. View of piazza Capitolo on May 7, 2011 when Pope Benedict XVI visited Aquileia. 44 45 The days of the AQUILEIA ecclesiastical prince In the Middle Ages the emperor granted the Patriarch of Aquileia temporal power over Friuli and Istria A new historical phase had begun for one and of the most prestigious seats of early Christianity FRIULI Texts by Donata Degrassi Photos by Gianluca Baronchelli Translation by Joanne Baldoni

Thel Ita ian Middle Ages

SCENES FROM THE MIDDLE AGES. Bertrand of Saint-Geniès, Patriarch of Aquileia, who died in 1350 and was canonized shortly Greek crosses recalling Jerusalem; shells from St. James of Compostella; Latin crosses in Rome; the figure of the bishop afterward, hands out bread and drinks to the locals. There are various pilgrims present identified by staffs, St. Nicolas of Bari. Table of early XV c. Worth noting is a person holding “a pilgrims flask” flowing capes, wide brimmed hats with the symbols of their pilgrimage destination pinned on them: and a rudimentary means of transport for an invalid. (Udine, Duomo Museum) 46 47 p. facing below n 1077 Henry IV granted his for their military service and loyalty, the bi- for the patriarch. In this drawing of Sermones POVERty loyal chancellor, patriarch Sigehard of shops of Aquileia gave them land. Over time Catholici (XIII c.) Raimondo della Torre A widow offers food (Patriarch of Aquileia from 1273 to 1299), sitting to St. Biagio, Aquileia – who supported him in the the groups of noble stock purchased land and on an elaborate faldistorium (folding chair), who had liberated Canossa issue (when the emperor built castles on their property. They often cre- receives two geese from a certain «Martinus» a piglet from the risked losing his throne after being ex- ated their own areas of control and drafted defined as an «amicus vini», ‘drinking friend’. clutches of a wolf. Martino says in dialect «Toite queste oche» Pig farms were communicated by Pope Gregory VII in policies to develop and promote their power, (Take these geese) to which Raimodo replies widespread in Friuli the investiture controversy) – temporal power to the detriment of their neighbors and of the «Bene es ocha» (One goose is enough). in the Medieval age. I A crane is perched on the palace with battlements, over the vast territory which made up the patriarchs themselves. Their wealth and power Animals similar the patriarch’s residence. (Udine, Public Library) to wild boars graze county (comitatus) of Friuli and, a few months laid in their land. The territories they owned in the woods. later, of Istria as well. By doing so, the head of were vast and spread throughout the whole re- As can be seen in the the Holy Roman Empire availed himself of gion, including the mountains. Their vast the tavella (the strip of cultivatable land sur- fresco in order to recognize domestic someone he trusted to administer and safe- lands yielded a variety of products depending rounding the residential areas), when the live- pigs their backs guard in his name the territories south of the on the climatic and morphological characteri- stock should graze, and how to exploit com- were shaved. Alps – one of the main areas of access to the stics of the land. mon property (comugne) like the woods and (Cividale, St. Biagio) Italian peninsula. For nearly two centuries the The region is not particularly fertile. Most of pastures, i.e. either collectively or by distributing cathedra saw patriarchs from the imperial en- Friuli is mountainous and not appropriate for among the families. The land exploited col- tourage come and go. They came from aristo- cultivation, thus explaining why livestock lectively did not include the fenced off plots A THOUSAND cratic families who had many interests in or breeding prevailed. In the plains, fertile areas (vegetable gardens, baiarzi-barnyards, braide). YEARS AGO feudally governed areas of Istria, Carniola were limited due to vast areas of gravel and These areas were used for the production of The basilica in Aquileia showing (present-day Slovenia), Carinthia and Stiria. marshland in the center region and to the vegetables, legumes, and wine. A wide variety of the imposing bell tower Friuli had a network of institutional, economic, north. Along the coast during the Middle Ages, grains were cultivated on the arable land. commissioned at the and cultural relations with neighboring towns thick forests could be found. Land ownership Among the bread grains cultivated were rye and time of Patriarch Poppo on both sides of the Alps. consisted mostly of large, self-sufficient farms wheat, the food product which was most valua- who also carried out the renovation This is the area where many groups of located in different areas around a village (vil- ble and in demand. Other grains that were cul- of the church (1031). knights (milites) who settled in Friuli came la). The village people were directly responsible tivated included: oat, millet, sorghum, setaria The present day from. Together with local families they formed for the farmland. The family heads of the vil- italica, barley, spelt and legumes like fava beans landscape has hardly changed since aristocracies which established close bonds of lage community (vicinia) determined what which were short-cycle plants cultivated in medieval times. feudal nature with the patriarchs. In exchange crops were to be rotated (normally grains) on abundance to make soups and mush.

48 49 POPPO and the basilica CASTles and their inhabitants IN FRIULI A detail of the fresco on the apse vault The power of a family. In the last centuries of the Medieval age Defense of the territory. It could hardly be said that life in the castles of of the basilica the castle was not only used as a fortress for military purposes or Friuli was full of the pomp and splendor that we are led to believe about in Aquileia merely the dwelling place for the nobility. Beyond these roles the such places. Throughout the XII century and for most of the following one, (first half of the XI c.) castle was the most obvious symbol of domain giving its name to the castles were mainly built for military demands and not for residential with the saints Hilarius, Tatianus and Mark. family who lived in. The castle constituted the main element of their reasons: they were built with thick walls mostly made of stone with few In smaller dimensions identity both for the successive generations that were born and openings which were always narrow in the form of a squat tower (mas- figures of the Patriarch the various branches into which a family subdivided. It could also tio), inside which the interior spaces were often undifferentiated. Poppo (with a square nimbus used for the ATTIMIS castle. Like other castles in the eastern foothills of Friuli, the complex is made up of two buildings living), offering from different epochs, inhabited by two branches of the same family of nobles. The larger castle (in the photo) the Virgin a model is recorded to have existed since 1106, while the smaller one was built between 1250 and 1260. of the basilica. Another important person is present thought to be the Duke of Carinthia.

the mint and the coins in AQUILEIA Patriarchs and their money making rights. In Friesach (a district in Carinthia) substan- with a diameter of circa 20 millimeters. On The Patriarchs in Aquileia exercised money tial veins of silver were discovered; as a the upper face of the coins appeared the making rights and produced coinage for the consequence, in 1130 a mint was establi- seated Patriarch while on the other side of region they dominated which was common shed enabling the precious metal extracted the coin appeared an image of a temple practice in the Medieval age. Furthermore, to enter into circulation. with two towers or an eagle. Initially the coins from other signories also circulated Initially the coinage was good. Until the first value was very high at 900 thousandths most notably issued by the Venetians, Terge- decades of the 1300’s, the coins produced and continued to remain high (at 830 thou- stines (from Trieste) and the Friesachs. The in Aquileia conformed to those minted by sandths) for most of the 1300’s, until it latter category had particular importance. the Friesachs, weighing just over a gram rapidly fell and lost value. At the beginning be said that the castle served the function of a type of ‘safe’ Castles become more graceful. Towards the end of the 1300’s and of the 1400’s both the weight and the quan- for the wealth of the bloodline as products from the land, even more during the following century, residential palace (pala- tity of metal had halved. The currency of properties and feudal rights would be amassed in the cellars tium) would be built near the massive towers that formed the origi- Aquileia had become bad money. and store rooms gathered by the farmers like symbolic leases nal nucleus of the structure. The walls began to be opened up by The Mint. The Mint was located in Aquileia, or rent money. the addition of bigger windows, the internal space started to be in a street recorded as “Androna della mo- divided and organized as both reception rooms and family spaces. The “voice” of the inhabitants of the castles. The neta” (the money road) in the quarter of St. Attempts were made to create a more comfortable life within castle was a status symbol which distinguished its Andrew. Towards the 1330’s, when the pa- the castle. In particular, bearing in mind the cold climate of the inhabitants on a social and political level. The “castel- triarchal residence was established in region, apart from the traditional and often inefficient fireplaces lans” were the members of the lineage of feudal land Udine, the Mint was transferred to the same many castles added a winter room lined with wooden panels (stu- lords who carried out noble service for the patriarchs town. Those in charge of the Mint were of- pa) heated by a ceramic stove. The ceramics on the tables started (fighting wars as knights) and who had “a voice” (fulfill- ten experts from Tuscany. to take on a more refined appearance and were not only acquired ing the role of representation and the power to vote) in locally but also imported. Even glasses and containers made of The nest-egg regained. Of particular inte- Parliament of the “Patria del Friuli”, where they were the glass started to put in an appearance. All of the above-mentioned rest was the discovery (1969) of the treasure most numerous and influential group. objects have been found on the archaeological sites. trove of as many as 367 coins, unearthed near the patriarchal city walls of Aquileia. BERDICA. A sort of large axe used The coins had been kept in a sort of ‘pod’ in for fighting (mounted on a staff) from the shape of a folded metal leaf. There were the XIII c., found at the castle at Motta (in the district of Povoletto - Udine), 13 large coins made by the Venetians, 38 widely used in Eastern Europe. (Attimis, coins from Trieste and 316 coins from Aqui- Museum of Medieval Archaeology) leia itself, corresponding to issues dated from the last decade of the XII century or a castle interior. Model of a castle between the late XI and early XIII c., with the keep little later in the century. The excellent state which doubles up as both residence and fortress. of the conservation meant that it was not The tower is subdivided by a wooden gallery; only possible to make accurate measure- for safety reasons the entrance can be found on coins from AQUILEIA. Treasure trove with Aquileian, Venetian and Triestine coins ments of weight, size and material but also the first floor accessed by stairs in an emergency. A chapel and out-buildings used as stables found in Aquileia in 1969. The coins were inside a metal purse shaped like a pod made to calculate on the basis of the number of from a metal leaf. Inscribed on the obverse of the silver Aquileian coins (early XIII c.) for the horses and an oven as well as store rooms, were the seated Patriarch, a cross in his right hand and a book used coins the total amount of the coinage warehouses and servants quarters in his left with legend VOLGER P(atriarcha), while on the reverse the inscription produced by the Patriarchal Mint in that can be seen inside a fenced-off area. CIVITAS AQUILEGIA. (Aquileia, Archaeological Museum) period. (Attimis, Archaeological Museum) 50 51 quarters of the civil magis- left and below trates, also gave onto the square RESIDENce Medieval Aquileia: light and shadow The remains of the which had been completed in columns of the great Aquileia was surrounded by a city wall situated by a fork 1322 substituting the previous Patriarchal Palace building. Rising above a porti- (XI c.) in Aquileia. in the Natissa River while the other fork flowed towards the city... Converted from co some of the most prestigious granaries (horrea) professionals in Aquileia had in the period of Late vanished city? It is cer- flowed towards the city. There pitolo), while the one in the their offices here. There used to Antiquity, as can be seen in the photo tainly not an easy task was a vast space free of buil- west pertained to the authority be a fish market (piscaria) in of the excavation site. to know how to present dings within the city walls of the town council. This di- the south of the square, next to The column with many A more similar columns Aquileia in the Medieval age, which was used for cultivation. chotomy inevitably reflected the bridge which crossed the supported the ceiling and definitely more difficult the functional reality, an ecclesi- Natissa. of a great hypostyle AQUILEIA IN 1693 than in the Roman period, not Two jurisdictions. The medie- astical pole on one hand, a civil hall located In the late XVII c. only because of the excavations val city was divided into halves and economic one on the other. Outside the city walls. Out- on the ground floor. the city still appeared There would have been much as it had and operations of valorization by a road which connected the side the city walls stood the at least another floor. in the Medieval age which favorably influenced the gate to the north (Utina gate or The Grand Patriarchal palace. Benedictine monastery of San- As can be seen from of the patriarchs. testimonies of a more distant and Omnium sanctorum) to the one The massive basilica was loca- ta Maria for nuns was, the the plan of 1693, The walls are more splendid epoch, but also towards the south (Beligna ted in the eastern part of the city Chapter of St. Stefano and the the palace was crowned surrounded by by battlements. the Natissa River due to the fact that the best part gate). One of the particularities where the sacred buildings were Benedictine Abbey of Beligna. and by a canal forking of the medieval city was burned of Aquileia was the fact that this connected with the Chapter Structures designed to host from the same river. to the ground in 1703 by French median line also served as Lodge while the residence for and recover both pilgrims and The remains of the basilical complex sailors who came up the Natissa. marking the boundary dividing the canons was located nearby. the sick (xenodochio) were with the ancient In the medieval period Aquileia two different jurisdictions: one The patriarchal palace was situa- built nearby and as a matter of patriarchal palace was surrounded by a city wall, in the east, named Pala Crucis, ted south of the basilica, an im- necessity were isolated, inclu- can be noted with the sea of Grado nestling by a fork in the well characterized by the presence of posing building of 90 meters by ding the leper colony of San in the background. known river, while another fork the canons of the Chapter (Ca- 66, articulated from one end to Lazzaro.

the other by archs supported by where the cultivated products pilasters and crowned by bat- ready for the Patriarch’s table tlements. Built in the period of were conserved. Today there Late Antiquity, probably at the are only two columns remain- end of the III c., for quite a dif- ing of the building which along ferent purpose: that of a grana- with many others had support- ry (horreum) where the reserves ed the rooms located on the of grains for the city were kept. ground floor. On being restored and readapt- ed it functioned as the patriar- The civil sector. The west part chal residence until the end of of the city was centered around the 1300’s, then was aban- the forum, the square par excel- doned and fell into decay (al- lence, lined by the workshops ready documented in the XVI or small shops (stationes) run- century). Here stood the cani- ning their commercial activity. pa, i.e. warehouses and cellars The Commune palace, head-

Pilgrims Three pilgrims with staffs strengthened with strips of leather or metal and fur cloaks, behind a man who is proffering a cylindrical container, interpreted as a relic, and a notable person sitting on a faldistorium (a type of folding chair also used by bishops when preaching their sermons). The scene is a part of the fresco in Velario (late XII c.) in the crypt of the basilica in Aquileia. 52 53 below A land of busy traffic between Monte Croce Carnico, in Cividale, along the mento River) and the mountain pass of Cam- below BENEFICES road from the mountain pass of Predil which porosso (Tarvisio) took to Villach in Carinthia. MILITES IN FRIULI A scroll dated 1031, the Adriatic and the countries A group of knights July 13th in Aquileia. beyond the Alps ran along the Isonzo and Natisone valleys, and Levies were moved to Gemona, a bit further in heavy armor (milites) Patriarch Poppo, lastly in Aquileia where its river port was the downstream from where the Fella Road met in a scene taken during the consecration nother important resource was the terminal point for products coming from the with the one coming from the Monte Croce from the story of St. of the basilica Biagio depicted reconstructed by him, movement of goods and people across Mediterranean and continuing to the conti- mountain pass. The city of Gemona had suc- in the frescoes (XIV c.) established that the the area, from beyond the Alps to the nent. The city’s flourishing economy based on ceeded in becoming the place where means of in the vaults of the fifty priests in this A church of St. Peter Adriatic shores. Because the two areas differed commercial exchanges is also witnessed by the transportation were changed in order to face office were the ones and St. Biagio to whom benefices were so much in climate and geography, they were a official document dated July 13, 1031 with the more challenging mountainous routes. It in Cividale in Friuli. bestowed in the form source of a wide variety of products that com- which Patriarch Poppo granted 50 priests, who also became a lively market to exchange goods. The heavy cavalry of land located in the plemented each other. From beyond the Alps had been called upon to officiate on occasion Thus, the importance of the terra (the urban constituted the nucleus region of the lowlands of the medieval army of Friuli, as well came precious metals, useful minerals (iron, of the consecration of Aquileia’s Basilica, the center with the defensive walls) waned. With and in the patriarchate as thirty staciones copper, tin), animal fur, hide and leather. From earnings of 30 shops (staciones) on the square regards to Aquileia’s river and maritime ports, of Aquileia was made up (shops and ware the Adriatic came wine, grains, oil, dried fruit, in Aquileia. other cities with similar facilities developed of castle owners. houses) in the square Regarding the armor in Aquileia and dried and salted fish. The growth of Venice as In the centuries that followed the year 1000, and took over, both on the coast and inland: this depiction can be a further twenty an emporium for the purchase of luxury goods traffic grew increasingly. In the XII and espe- Monfalcone, Marano, Latisana, Portogruaro compared to the in the port of Piro from the East was indeed an added bonus. cially in the XIII c. new urban centers took over and even Sacile and Pordenone. Such prolife- samples found knight. The “liftable” visor of the knight known (present-day Monastier As early as the IX-X c., there were three bor- the ancient checkpoints and became hubs for ration was due to the presence of a number of pertaining in the Province as Knight of Soffumbergo (late XIV c.). Together with to the knight known of Treviso). der checkpoints that seemed to have existed other pieces of armor found in the excavation sites the passage and exchange of incoming and lords who promoted the towns where they as the “Knight (Udine, Capitular where duties were levied on the goods in tran- of the Friulian castle of Soffumbergo the visor outgoing goods. Among the roads that led be- lived as port terminals. This led to them ma- of Soffumbergo”. Archivies) was used in order to reconstruct the hypothetical sit. The checkpoints were in San Pietro di Zu- appearance of a man in heavy armor at the end of yond the Alps, the one that crossed the valley king substantial earnings from the excise du- glio, on the way from the mountain pass of the 1300’s. (Attimis, Museum of Medieval Archaeology) of the Fella Creek (a tributary of the Taglia- ties and tolls they charged.

54 55 ually moved across the lands they controlled. St. SEPuLCHRE AQUILEIA PILGRIMAGE destination This practice helped the government control It is a small monument erected in the first half This aspect plays an important role. Many pilgrims headed for Compostella and in Italy, Loreto and Assisi, apart from St. Micha- and understanding the territory directly. of the XI century, and Aquileia at the beginning of the first affirmation of Christianity and el al Gargano visited with great assiduity in the Longobard pe- However, the State’s central government and thought to have been subsequently throughout the first Medieval age to honor the relics riod. Thus, Aquileia was no longer considered the final goal of a administration no longer had a fixed place to created to celebrate the and the martyrs which were held there but also to recognize the devotional journey nor the main center of religious reference in millennium of the death refer to but a territorial lord who gathered his and resurrection role of the original Church from which Christianity had spread in- the area of the north Adriatic, although it did remain a place to be council of vassals (curia vassallorum), and lat- of Christ (1033). land. This function strengthened during VIII-IX c., when the city visited with veneration even when just on the way to visiting other er Parliament, wherever and whenever he It can be seen at the became a reference point for the evangelization of the still Pagan destinations. The signatures and the prayers scratched on the entrance of the left nave deemed appropriate. For most of the 1200’s, population who were settled in Carantania (region in the eastern walls by the pilgrims of the crypt in the so called Church ‘of the in the basilica in Alps), Pannonia and Moravia. Pagans’ convey a deep sense of faith. it was no longer possible to speak of a patri- Aquileia and is a archal residence and of his followers. The reproduction of the St. Calling of St. Sepulchre. Apart from the antique relics the patriar- prelate now resided in Cividale, in Aquileia – Sepulchre in Jerusalem, chal Basilica offers as a calling the model of St. Sepulchre (or much noted and the city that gave the Patriarchate its name better known as the aedicule of Anastasis, in other words of the depicted at the time. but where the climate and weather condi- It was utilized Resurrection), reproduced on the basis of the representations and in the Easter liturgy. descriptions handed down and shared between pilgrims and tra- tions were unfavorable for long-term stays – and in a few castles, like Udine or San Daniele. velers. This construction was erected in the first half of the XI c. NOBILITY more than likely commissioned by Patriarch Poppo who took it In the 1200’s, in order to counterbalance the AT THE TABLE upon himself to restore the Basilica to its original ancient splendor. power of the castellans and to avail of a force Drawing taken from In 1033, he was involved in organizing the millennium of the to support their policies, the patriarchs fa- a manuscript Sermones Catholici (XIII c.) Passion of Christ. vored the economic and demographic growth depicting the Banquet of a number of places like Udine, Gemona, of Herod and writing on the wallS. The pilgrims’ graffiti found on the Sacile, Tolmezzo. In addition, they promoted the beheading of John frescoed walls of the Church “of the Pagans” (so called because the Baptist. The lively the structure had originally been reserved for those who had not their transformation into independent com- scene conveys the yet been baptized). The various writings from different eras munities or groups of citizens who had the atmosphere of a were traced above all those written on top of the figures right to be represented and voting in Parlia- convivial gathering of of the saints from whom the pilgrims asked protection. nobles and patriarchs ment. in Friuli during SubSCRIptions. A page of an Evangeliario (Book of Gospels) the Medieval age apart likely to belong to a religious community in Aquileia. from the significance The subscriptions of the pilgrims can be seen in the empty spaces Donata Degrassi of the biblical episode of the text (the majority of them were of German and Slavic Professor of Economic and Social History here represented. origin) dated to VIII-early X c. (Cividale, Archaeological Museum) of the Middle Ages at the University of Trieste (Udine, Civic Library) Processions of newly converted followers from Oltralpe. A particu- lar testimony can be cited regarding the presence of pilgrims from Few urban centers the lands which had been converted. Housed in a Evangeliario, in the Patriarchal Friuli currently safeguarded in Cividale (although it was more than like- ly kept in Aquileia originally), is a list of subscriptions amounting ontrary to other areas of North Cen- to over one thousand five hundred names including many people tral Italy, Friuli lacked the presence of Germanic and Slavic origins, showing evidence of the constant C of powerful and independent cities flow of pilgrims from Oltralpe. Most of them were not commoners able to exercise economic leadership in the but princes and prominent figures from the Slavic population who, region’s political organization. This border thanks to their patronized mission from patriarchal seats in Aquileia, region suffered the effects of the fall of the had recently been converted. Furthermore, other subscriptions Roman Empire because of the devastation from Emperors, high ranking Church officials and members of the brought by the migration of Germanic peo- French nobility were listed. The subscriptions of the Evangelary in ples and the incursions of peoples from the Cividale were interrupted in the early X c. at which time there steppes. As a consequence, major cities like were also less signs of the presence of pilgrims in Aquileia. This was the time of the Hungarian raids which had a devastating ef- Aquileia and other smaller urban centers like fect throughout this area and in neighboring regions. Iulium Carnicum (present-day Zuglio) Iulia Concordia (present-day Concordia Sagitta- Penalized by “mass” pilgrimages. The flow of pilgrims picked up momentum again in the XII c., although the prospects, destina- ria) declined. In sum, with the exception of tions, routes, the orientation and the protagonists themselves on Forum Iulii (Cividale), the entire network of their devotional journey had changed. Due to the new political ancient Roman cities collapsed and in the and religious organization in Aquileia, the role of being the pro- Middle Ages a new series of urban centers pulsion center of Christianity towards the east had been lost and (urbs) had to be developed into organized even the calling exercised by one of the oldest pilgrim destination communities (civitas) able to administer where the remains of martyrs could be venerated had grown dim. themselves. Beginning in the 1200’s and especially during the 1300’s and In the process, patriarchs, too, played a 1400’s pilgrimages became a widespread phenomenon of inte- different role. No longer bishops bound to a rest to all the social stratum. To the traditional destinations, such as city, as in the rest of Italy, but territorial lords Rome and The Holy Land, new ones were added, like St. James of who, like many medieval sovereigns, contin- 56 57 The wealth and beauty of the Roman city on the Adriatic Sea is presented You were so beautiful, in all its past glory as it was twenty centuries ago for all to see This is the result of a long and complex project where archaeologists collaborated with experts in the field of virtual image reconstruction

Text Gianluca Baronchelli Cristiano Tiussi Virtual reconstruction Altair4 Ikon Nudesign Photos Gianluca Baronchelli by courtesy of the of the Archaeological Heritage in Friuli Venezia Giulia AQUILEIA Translation by Joanne Baldoni

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ANCIENT CITY 58 59 n a warm evening... a yel- low light jostles with the ever elongating shadow of the bell tower. Strolling in the direction of the domus (house) of Titus Macer, I come across a group of tourists olingering on the excavation site. Three curious children fire a series of questions at the kind and professional guide to whom she replies, ‘Try to imagine that…’ ‘You need to imagine... just imagine’ rather like a mantra. Aquileia greets you with a mixture of sensations. Initially you are guided – whether you arrive from the north or the south of the lagoon – inspired by Patriarch Poppo’s (XI century) seventy-three-meter bell tower which impresses us more than a comet would! You are then stunned by the massive basilica with its one thousand three hundred square meters constituting the greatest expanse of mosaic flooring from the Roman west. You then might feel like taking a backward step slightly overwhelmed. With every pace the glorious past of the city is perceived, notably the sheer size of it which housed a population of fifty thousand inhabitants in the Roman Imperial age (just over three thousand today). But what remains of the city founded in 181 BC and sub- sequently raised to the ground by Attila in the year 452 AD? Aquileia, not only one of the biggest cities in the Empire but also one of the most important ports in the Adriatic. What ever happened to the fo- rum pulsating with the political, administrative and social life of the city, the river port, the numerous bustling markets, and an amphitheater even larger than the arena in Pola? What happened to the high walls and the sumptuous domus? And so the mantra echoes for the children to listen to, ‘You will just have to imagine…’.

on the two pages ➝ to the eastern part the heart of the portico were of the city raised and integrated The remains of the with clay bricks in the forum in Aquileia 1930’s. The composite and some reconstructed capitals, shafts and images: panoramic view bases were constructed of the square with in limestone from the civilian Basilica Aurisina and dated back in the background to to the late epoch of the the south, details of Antonini Emperors the entrance of the same (circa 170-180 AD). Basilica (previous pp.), The paved flooring the presumed location (Aurisina limestone, of the Temple of the Trieste) belongs to Capitoline divinities. the julio-claudian age The square is built with (first half of the I c. AD). the city in the II c. BC, In some cases assuming the current the material was appearance in the substituted by resused first half of I c. AD, materials such lined with porticoes as inscriptions. In at least on three sides particular, an epigraph and housing numerous to Titus Annius (Luscus) workshops to the east was found, the triumvir and to the west. who led the second The present-day contingent of colonists columns belonging ➝ in the city in 169 BC. 60 61 From the imagination the city walls, and the domus of Titus Macer on the two pages emerge once more taking on a new light, life the PORT on The to a historical image river NATISONE and substance. The next step which the Fonda- The present-day river evertheless, between mere imagining zione Aquileia strived to achieve is to systemize port of Aquileia set and actually observing, a happy medi- this created information in order to communi- against a reconstructed panorama. Here is one Num can be found today in the form of a cate it to the visitor via the new available tech- of the best preserved reconstruction. At the virtual, yet photo-realis- nology such as images and interactive, three- examples of a structure tic level a high degree of similarity to the an- dimensional videos which are optimized and pertaining to ports from the Roman age. cient reality could be achieved. In accordance can be enjoyed through most mobile devices It was built near with the requirements of the Fondazione Aqui- and by accessing the site of the Fondazione the ancient river leia, a team of experts worked together for two Aquileia (www.fondazioneaquileia.it), either that ran along the east of the city. intense years. They managed to overcome any at home or alternatively available for down- This structure is over previous sense of being misunderstood and in- loading on the physical location. In the case of 300 meters long near complete by inspiring a new sense of awareness the domus of Titus Macer, the three-dimen- the Republican city walls (II-I c. BC). and enthusiasm in the visitors. In so doing the sional simulation can be enjoyed on the ar- The port was renovated fragments from the past were brought back to- chaeological site of the Cossar Area as augmen- in the early I c. AD. gether again, the relics put back into place to- ted reality, which also gives the visitors the op- A building was wards the recreation of the original city as op- portunity to evaluate the ruins using their own constructed behind the docks, the outside posed to a meaningless list of items removed smartphones or tablets, visualizing an interac- walls of which from their context. New technology offers an tive reconstruction set in its environmental were built of bricks. extraordinary opportunity for promoting our context. Additionally, and also offered free of Further transformations date to the age heritage for both scientific and didactic pur- charge, the latest app is also available giving of Constantine (IV c.), poses as well as for tourism. This project repre- theme itineraries and over a hundred points of a few years before sents an important exchange between archaeol- interest mapped out and geo-referenced. Obvi- the new city walls would extend ogy and the public at large, creating images ously, panels of great impact are not lacking over the docks. which, through the power of imagination, re- which serve to decipher archaeological spaces main imprinted within the memory. Conse- and ruins utilizing a direct, emotional style of quently, the places making up the great city of language which stimulates an in-depth learning Aquileia such as the river docks, the markets, experience.

Discover AQUILEIA on the WEB and MOBILE phones Planning a trip and visiting the city. The digital guide of Aqui- leia World Heritage available on the sites www.arte.it, www.fondazioneaquileia.it and free to download at the App store for iPhone users gives the opportunity to plan a trip and visit the city in an interactive way thanks to the map- ping out of the area and due to the geo-referencing of a hundred points of interest including monuments, churches, museums and archaeological areas. Utilizing the menu users can obtain directions to reach the desired destinations and to consult the information charts created by the staff made up of a team of experts and archaeologists, organized with the use of an ingenious iconographic system in which the contents are constantly balanced between being de- scriptive and emotional. On arrival in Aquileia the visitors can share their itineraries and intentions on the social net- work. The information is embellished with thematic itine- raries (Roman art, the Christian and medieval period, The Great War) and timelines, a synthesis of twenty locations of the city from its foundation until the present. The interactive guide of Aquileia also provides a useful information area for those who wish to familiarize themselves with the city and its landscape, as well as the structures existing in the town and the neighboring areas. The App additionally offers a calendar of events and temporary exhibitions in Friuli Vene- zia Giulia, available as additional information when plan- ning or extending your holiday. 62 63 Above facing page MaRket area Background panorama of Pasqualis Area including a view of the great Basilica of Aquileia. During excavations made in 1953-54 on the south -eastern tip of the Roman city, two wall sections from the late Roman age and three areas were discovered, near a great building used as a warehouse. In these spaces small market structures can be identified dating from the late Imperial age (IV-V c.), linked to embarkation points on the Natisone River which ran just outside the city walls. to the side Today there are two of these First phase visible (proposed again of AQUILEIA in the reconstructed designs). The city gate The one in the extreme east on the northern side was made up of an area of the city walls of the articulated around a well Roman Republic age whereas the one in the extreme (II-I c. BC). west, again with a central Facing a secondary courtyard, revealed the presence water way utilized of a portico under which to transport the workshops would commercial cargo have been located. in small boats. In one of these, about thirty amphorae still containing grains of par roasted grain were discovered. The double line of the walls facing page visible in the Pasqualis Area workshops dates to the late Imperial age Probable appearance (IV c.), when a new city wall of the interior was added here which of a workshop which followed the course of the river looked out onto the at this particular point. forum (see pp. 60-61). 64 65 ➝ on both pages The scientific basis suring and face the third dimension of the eleva- vilian Basilica and the city walls characterized the “via Sacra” a river basin of nearly fifty meters of which remains The AmphITHEATER tions which is fundamental when attempting to history of the city. Nevertheless, what remains on opens up, where ships of various tonnage would very little, corresponds of the reconstruction perfectly to the model T wo images convey the nature of the ruins to the public at site and what is today housed in the museums or arrive from all over the Mediterranean. Not to of the reconstructed of the great arenas amphitheater mongst the most challenging and at the large making use of the constant evolution of in other places but can no doubt be attributed to mention the long building behind the quay with of the Roman Period. in Aquileia, erected in same time necessary feats for the archae- the various computer techniques which are in- specific buildings, together with the comparison access to the sloping floors. With the help of the early Imperial age ologists to address is firstly the recon- creasingly able to satisfy demands in terms of with best known archaeological sites (taking computer graphics other details which made up (I c. AD) near a A struction of the features of ancient buildings verisimilitude and creating atmospheres. Rome and Pompeii as a starting point) often life in the sea port have been brought back to life secondary exit from the west side of the city, from the fragmented ruins and secondly to pro- Aquileia is notoriously lacking any consistent prove to be sufficient in order to reconstruct a such as the mercantile ships or the massive cranes towards the road vide accurate images of architectonic structures ruins in elevation. Until relatively recent periods true to life image of the most important com- being maneuvered around the quay. These have of the Sepolcreto and decorations. The intention of the archaeolo- the reutilization or dispersion of the original ma- plexes, even if this image is by nature provisional. been duly reconstructed on the basis of the dis- seen in the background. It is supposed gists is to go beyond the two-dimensional per- terials used to build and decorate public com- coveries in situ or from the Roman monuments that this building ➝ spective which is perhaps for them the most reas- plexes such as the central square (forum), the ci- The central square and river port: which represented these aspects. the pulsating life in Aquileia A TEAM of experts he colonnaded façades flanking three si- des of the forum, the main square in the Reconstructing Aquileia. In order to “reconstruct”Aquileia three work groups city, re-emerge before our eyes with their were necessary sharing a single overview and a continual exchange of views, T information, ideas and suggestions. There were three companies involved. Al- elaborate composite capitals, and articulated tra- tair4 (www.altair4.com), who for twenty-five years have been creating innova- beations depicting an obsessive repetition of the tions in the field of the language of communication and more specifically con- motifs of Juppiter Ammon and Medusa. The ove- cerning technology for promoting our cultural heritage. They executed the rall layout of the square – regrettably interrupted virtual reconstruction of the Constantinian basilica. Secondly, Ikon (www.ikon. today by the regional road which runs from Gra- it), a web agency specializing in internet solutions and multimedia, having con- do to Udine – has been completely reassembled. siderable experience in the field of 3D reconstruction, carried out the recon- The rows of workshops lined up beneath the por- struction of the domus in the CAL and Cossar Zone. The necropolis, the river port, tico convey the lively atmosphere which would the markets, the forum and amphitheater were undertaken by Nudesign (www. have characterized the heart of the ancient city. nudesignstudio.com), a brand new company orientated towards interior de- Moving on to the port, it is difficult today for sign, design in general and advertising. The models and high definition rendering those who visit the well-conserved ruins of the were carried out by software 3D Studio Max while the motor rendering was performed by V-Ray. Real-time 3D simulations were generated by the platform docks for loading and unloading of goods, the Unity 3D, which maximizes the graphic potential of cutting-edge technology sloping floors and the ramps linking the urban and distributes the applications to various platforms (web, iOs, Android, etc.). roads to imagine that underneath the so-called

66 67 on the two pages house belonging to Titus Macer The archaeological area of the Cossar Estates in Aquileia. There are the remains of several houses relative to one of the southern block of Aquileia during the Roman age, currently being researched by the University of Padua. Recent excavations have uncovered the remains of a great house built between two roads. This domus, at the beginning of the I c. AD, was built around a central space, a garden surrounded by an ambulatory with mosaic floor embellished with a fountain (below). Workshops have been recognized towards the east next to the road (facing p.); while towards the west an atrium has been found (facing p.), supported by four columns, on which various private rooms converged. A stone weight with an inscription gives us the likely name of the owner, Titus Macer.

68 69 on this page A multi-purpose complex ple, wooden colonnades under which the market on this page the house of “the traders displayed their wares. THE necropolis good SHEPHERD” and the great amphitheater The stretch of The background Despite there being very few remains of the necropolis currently panorama of the CAL n extensive working complex, consisting amphitheater left, they are sufficient to delineate open to the public Area of Aquileia of a massive warehouse and three small the layout. In this case the reconstruction at- in Aquileia and and two reconstructed a reconstruction details of the eastern A paved areas thought to have been used tempt definitely proved to be more of a chal- of the funerary space domus with a colonnaded as market, were built next to the city wall con- lenge but is nevertheless backed up by compara- which is located court and the mosaic structed in Late Antiquity in the southern part of tive methods, i.e. a comparison with buildings on a secondary road of ‘The Good Shepherd”. out of the town. In this area, outside the city next to the first Christian basilica built by which have been better conserved, namely in Only five funerary areas the most ancient walls the bishop Theodore at the beginning of the IV c. cities in ancient northern Italy (Verona and Po- belonging to various of the city, a residential The enormous warehouse was demolished only la). As far as the interior views are concerned families who lived quarter was developed. in Aquileia remain Towards the north in the XVIII c. and had been noted by local experts. the very few pieces of architectonic decoration (Statia, anonymous, the area is dominated The façades articulated in blind arches reached a such as the molded tiles in the form of a dol- Julia, Trebia, Cestia). by a big room with an apse height of circa twenty meters rising above the phin are placed in their original positions as a On the basis of the (protected by a modern monuments and tombs structure), which was markets beneath, where there was a central court parapet of the outlets of the cavea (the seating excavated (1940-1941), preceded by a colonnaded yard surrounded by stone structures or by sim- area of the amphitheater). the area was utilized court. For some time from the beginning identified as an Paleo- of the I c. AD. Christian oratory due The fourth funerary to the presence of the area, however, was “The Good Shepherd” extended at least mosaic (IV c.) until the IV-V c., as which decorates it, today the presence of various it is considered rather sarcophagi from the as a reception hall of the Late Antiquity period house of a wealthy owner. testify, some of which The mosaic of were positioned “The Good Shepherd” on small brick pilasters gets its name from to convey the idea the figure positioned of the original depth. at the center of an elaborate pattern made up of rhombs and squares with octagonal spaces inscribed. The motifs, which apart from the Good Shepherd include fish, dolphins, peacocks, ducks, and masculine and feminine busts, belong to the figurative repertoire also adopted by non Christians at the height of the IV c.

70 71 on both pages From the houses of the rich with a fountain, the small shops lining the which a figure of “The Good Shepherd” is de- structures acted as a boundary of the funerary ➝ (the former can the GRAND BASILICa two roads (cardines) creating a boundary to picted was erroneously thought to have been a areas were made up of various organic material, be seen today The interior of the to the city of the dead in the “Cripta degli Basilica in Aquileia the area contribute to the three-dimension- Christian oratory. for example hedges or shrubs or even wooden scavi” while the latter as it is seen today. he domus of Titus Macer, a wealthy al reconstruction recalling the demolished Finally, the only trace of the necropolis still fences. This was a system commonly utilized in constitutes the present Two images that reflect citizen of Aquileia living in the I c. wall structures. Furthermore, the presence visible today, consisting of five areas for the Roman necropolises. So Aquileia comes alive day Basilica), and the its original appearance interior of the same AD, in the archaeological area in the of part of a domus dating from the IV c., in Aquileian families, running along the north- again... in the time of the T room in the south with Bishop Theodore Cossar Estates near piazza Capitolo, is the the archaeological area of the CAL Estates, ern side of a secondary road out of the city. Gianluca Baronchelli Cristiano Tiussi mosaics still currently (early IV c.): only one in which we can see the entire lay- boasting a delegation hall including an apse Nothing, however, remains of the tombs on the visible. The present the exterior with out and a sizeable part of the mosaic surfa- preceded by a colonnaded court. The im- opposite side. Taking a wide view and bringing basilica is the one two parallel rooms, The authors: G. Baronchelli, journalist and photographer; commissioned by the north and south ➝ ces. The entrance, a Tuscan atrium, a garden pressive mosaic floor at the center of to bear didactic criteria, it is speculated that the C. Tiussi, archaeologist. bishop (patriarch) Poppo, who consecrated it in 1031. In 1909 the floor from the Poppo phase was removed as far as the height of the presbytery, in order to unearth the underlying mosaic floor of the building dating back to the Constantinian age, situated circa a meter underneath. This floor, dominated by the inscription dedicated to Theodore, represents one of the most spectacular elements of the religious building commissioned by the first bishop of Aquileia after the Edict of Tolerance in 313 AD.

buildings erected by Constantine and Theodore The origins of the Christian aspect of Aquileia. The exhibition “Con- a precious helmet as an engagement present from his future wife stantine and Theodore. Aquileia in the IV century” is being shown Fausta. The Imperial residence was most likely connected to a cir- from July 5th to November 3rd 2013 in Aquileia (Ud). Promoted by cus, according to a plan which was applicable from the Tetrarchic the Fondazione Aquileia, the Soprintendenza Archeologica and the period (late III c.). Constantine renovated the warehouses in the riv- Società per la Conservazione della Basilica, the exhibition is being er port and organized the construction of a big thermae similar to held on occasion of the celebration for the seventeenth centenary the one built in Rome by the same sovereign. The exhibition demon- since the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Catalogue by Electa. The main strates the building and urban development of the city, into which explanatory exhibition is being held in Meizlick Palace, and also in the Christian structure built in the IV c. by the Bishop Theodore can the nearby basilica. Here lie important remains from the first complex also be viewed. of the Christian age, commissioned by Bishop Theodore in the peri- Inside the immense Theodorian Basilica. A computer-graphic video od after the edict which had sanctioned religious peace. The combi- presents the reconstruction of the interior space of the original ba- nation of the vast extension of splendid mosaic flooring, the structural silica in Aquileia. The architecture has been reconstructed on the remains, the large fragments of the wall decoration constitute one of basis of the surviving elements and existing structures on the layout. the best known examples of ecclesiastical buildings dating from the Various hypotheses have been put forward particularly concerning Constantinian era. the vertical elements of the South Hall (the one occupied by the pre- Constantinian testimonies in Aquileia. The northern Adriatic city to- sent basilica). The most plausible solution opted for was based on gether with Milan was one of the main points on the strategic-military the available data. Regarding the surrounding structures (horreum chess board of the IV c. in northern Italy. It was the city where the mint i.e. public warehouses and domus) a comparison was made with was located and emperors often visited its. «Famous for its city walls an analogous typology in relation to the development of the layout and port», as mentioned by the poet Ausonius, the city maintained deriving from the plans. Concerning the interior, the frescoes were an important function throughout the IV c. due to its geographical extended and completed on the surviving inferior section whereas position on the route back to Adriatic and linked over land to the the reconstruction of the elements of the mosaic flooring were calcu- Balkans. According to a panegyric written in the IV c., a palatium lated by comparing the mosaics with the surviving ones still present was located in Aquileia was where the young Constantine received on site. Info: www.fondazioneaquileia.it 72 73