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Colasanti's Fregellae Fregellae, Storia e Topograa. By Giovanni Colasanti. Rome: Loescher & Co., 1906. 8vo. Pp. viii. 225 + 3. 2 Maps. 6 lire.

Thomas Ashby

The Classical Review / Volume 21 / Issue 07 / November 1907, pp 207 - 209 DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X00165114, Published online: 27 October 2009

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009840X00165114

How to cite this article: Thomas Ashby (1907). The Classical Review, 21, pp 207-209 doi:10.1017/ S0009840X00165114

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Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/CAR, IP address: 138.251.14.35 on 19 Apr 2015 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW 207

COLASANTI'S FREGELLAE.

Fregellae, Storia e Topografia. By GIOVANNI The authors will, as far as possible, select COLASANTI. Rome: Loescher & Co., localities already well known to them; while 1906. 8vo. Pp. viii. 225 + 3. 2 Maps. the general editor, Prof. Beloch, will be mainly 6 lire. responsible for the general method of treat- ment rather than the details of each mono- THE present volume is, as the preface (by graph. Professor Beloch) explains, the first of a The volumes at present in preparation series entitled Biblioteca di Geografia Storica will deal with Pinna, Fabrateria Nova— {Library of Historical Geography). The these two by Signor Colasanti—the district institution in 1901 at the University of of Sybaris, Mevania, Aquinum, Telesia, and Rome of a course of lectures in ancient Histonium. This last will be written by geography, to be delivered by Prof. Beloch Signor Raimondi. himself, has led to the adoption by The programme is an eminently practical several of the students of subjects relating and useful one, and, if carried through, will to it for their degree theses. Certain of form a very considerable and valuable addi- these—one may cite N. Iacobone, Ricerche tion to our sources of information. Such a sulla storia e la topografia di Canosa antica series is, indeed, exactly what is most wanted (Canosa, 1905); I. Raimondi, /. Frentani- in Italy, where it is often extremely hard to studio storico-topographico (Camerino, 1906); obtain a scientific description of the ancient Melchiori, Storia e topografia di Forum novum remains existing at any particular site, a list in Sabina (Foligno, 1905)—have already been of the discoveries, etc. If an interest, too, published separately; but it has wisely been can be created locally in the antiquities of decided that in future they shall appear uni- each place, that will be the best possible formly. The proposal is to ' illustrate by a guarantee for their preservation. series of monographs those ancient towns of The prefaces to the inscriptions of each Italy—that is to say very many if not the town in the Corpus do not deal with topo- majority—upon which no works which will graphy to any extent, thus missing, to my satisfy the exigencies of modern scientific mind, an opportunity of being even more research as yet exist.' Such works are, fur- useful than they already are; and Prof. Hiil- ther, intended for local use—to spread in the sen's valuable articles in Pauly-Wissowa's town with which they deal the knowledge of Realencyclopddie are of necessity brief, not its own history and antiquities. For—and to mention the fact that this great work to this I can testify from my own experience naturally progresses somewhat slowly. —the many works which already exist upon The present volume seems to promise well the history of the different towns of Italy for the future of the undertaking. It may were written either at a period anterior to be thought by the general reader—and not, the rise of any scientific treatment of anti- perhaps, unjustly—that it is a good deal quity, or by authors who had not the requi- longer than the interest of its subject site training. The volumes of this series will, would justify. But it is only fair to re- therefore, deal with the political and religious member that it is, as the preface says, intended history, with the public institutions and the to appeal to local readers, and not to assume economic life of each town, besides discuss- in them knowledge that they do not possess. ing the topographical conditions and the ancient remains still existing, with plans and The book thus begins with a general sur- illustrations where necessary. A full biblio- vey of the lower course of the Liris, and graphy will be included, and the relevant then proceeds to a description of the site passages of classical authors; and, so far as of Fregellae. About this there have been possible, the inscriptions will be given in full. several erroneous theories, which are duly criticized and exposed. The first to identify 208 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW the true site (here as in several other cases) haps even the second city of Italy, as was the French Abbe", Capmartin de Chaupy Mommsen {History of Rome, I. 341) sup- (Maison de Campagne d'Horace. Rome, poses, and it was here that in 125 B.C., after 1767-9, iii. 47s). the rejection of the proposals of M. Fulvius It lay on the left bank of the Liris, Flaccus for facilitating the acquisition of hardly half-a-mile to the east of the modern Roman civic rights, a revolt broke out against town of Ceprano, and was of importance Rome. The place was, however, captured owing to its command of the crossing in the same year by treachery and destroyed, of the river. It was thus occupied early being reduced to the condition of a mere —first, it is said (Dionys. ap. Steph. s.v.) village. Its place was, however, taken by by the Opici, then by the Volscians. It seems the new colony of Fabrateria Nova, founded to have been destroyed by the Samnites in 124 B.C. three miles to the S.E. on the rather before 330 B.C., in which year we find opposite bank of the river, which seems to the people of the neighbouring Fabrateria have entered into the possession of its terri- (Fabrateria Vetus, the modern Ceccano) tory (the bounds of which the author, in offering to submit to the Romans if the latter the somewhat lengthy concluding chapter would protect them against the Samnites (Pp. 183-225) attempts to fix); while we find (Liv. viii. 19). the post-station of Fregellanum (mod. In 328 the Romans founded a Latin Ceprano) also on the right bank of the river colony at Fregellae, and this was the chief mentioned in the Itineraries. cause of the war which broke out two years Signor Colasanti deals at some length later. The Samnites captured the place in with the site itself and the question of the 320, but it was retaken and recolonized in 313 crossing of the Liris. No less than four (Diodorus, xix. 101). Thenceforth it re- ancient bridges exist, or are known to have mained faithful to Rome, rendering especially existed, in the neighbourhood of Ceprano— valuable service by delaying Hannibal's ad- that at the east end of the modern town, vance in 212 B.C..by breaking down the bridges another a little below it (the latter of secondary • over the Liris; and it was a native of Fregellae importance), and two more in the neighbour- who headed the deputation of the non- hood of Fabrateria Nova (a little to the east revolting colonies in 209 B.C. The 100 of it, where the river makes a sharp bend, Carthaginian hostages taken by Scipio were which the road would thus cut off); and our placed here in 201-200. It seems to have author is probably right (p. 64) in maintain- become a place of considerable importance ing that after the destruction of Fregellae from a passage in Livy (xli. 8), in which, the Via Latina still traversed its site, and referring to 177 B.C., he says that the Sam- crossed the river three times in all, against nites and Paeligni complained that no less Mommsen {C.I.L. x. p. 547), who con- than 4,000 families had transferred their siders that, after its destruction, the Via residence thither. Our author rightly sus- Latina only crossed the Liris once, at the pects some exaggeration, having regard to lowest bridge1 of all, close to the village of the extent of the site of Fregellae (p. 148). S. Giovanni in Carico. Whether, on the At the same time the Latin colonies, with other hand, Signor Colasanti is right in Fregellae at their head, were protesting maintaining (p. 60 se$.) that before the de- against the migration to Rome of most of struction of Fregellae the Via Latina only those of their inhabitants who enjoyed crossed the Liris once, going direct from there Roman citizenship (Liv. ibid.; cf. Cic. Brut. to Aquinum, is not so clear to me; and in 46 apud tnaiores nostros video disertissimum either case he might have done more to habitum ex Latio L. Papirium Fregellanum prove his theories by giving us further Ti. Gracchi P. f. fere aetate (he was consul information as to the exact course of the in this very year): eius etiam oratio est pro Fregellanis colonisque Latinis habita in se- 1 Of this bridge one pillar only now exists. A draw- natu). Fregellae thus seems to have been a ing by Sir R. Colt Hoare in my collection shows the place of very considerable importance—per- arch as complete (Classical Tour, 208). C.I.L. x. 6890, 6892, 6893 allude to successive repairs to it. THE CLASSICAL REVIEW 209 Via Latina between the bridges and other great importance.1 No inscriptions whatever fixed points which he describes—-if indeed seem to have been found, and that indeed there is any evidence available. we should expect; but it is very possible Upon the site itself the remains are that a proper exploration of the deeper scanty: a certain number of votive terra- strata might give us important information cottas have been found, and may be referred as to the condition of an Italian town in to the temple of Neptune, which continued the last quarter of the second century B.C. : to exist on the site : a fragment of what the and it might be worth the while of the author believes to be the city wall has been Department of Antiquities to consider laid bare and covered up again (p. 101), and whether experimental investigations should scattered remains of buildings — most of not be undertaken. THOMAS ASHBY. which seem to belong, from the description, to the period after 125 B.C. But the site is 1 It is worth mentioning that in speaking of the now entirely under cultivation, and has never ruins of the imperial period at S. Angelo (p. 220) he been systematically excavated; and there omits to cite the passage in Notiziedegli Scavi, 1884, 161, describing discoveries which seem to have shown seem to be no records of discoveries of any that the building was a set of baths.

FORESHORTENING IN GREEK ART.

La Genesi dello Scorcio nelF Arte Greca. By all Asia.' Outside Greece there is no fore- DOTTORK ALESSANDRO DELLA SETA. Reale shortening is della Seta's axiom, but wherever Accademiadei Lincei, 1907. Pp. 124 and we find its traces we may feel certain that the 15 Plates. Greek element has penetrated. A great part of the monograph is accordingly occupied in THIS is a remarkable study, to do justice to tracing this Greek influence in the arts of which would require a long article. Della Asia. Perhaps the most notable part of a Seta is a distinguished pupil of Emanuel very notable essay treats of the history and Loewy, and approaches the problems of development of Graeco-Buddhist art—of its frontality and of foreshortening in the foot- advance into China in the first century A.D., steps of the scholar 'who first turned his whence it spread into Corea, Japan, and the attention to a study of Greek art from the neighbouring regions. point of view of spatial dimension.' To the Incidentally to his aesthetic and historic term ' frontality' current since the researches study of Greek art in its contact with the of Lange and Loewy, della Seta prefers Asiatic religions, della Seta draws a fine ' parallelism,' which expresses the net result picture of the aniconic religion of Buddha in of our apprehension of bidimensionality the East falling, like the aniconic religion of alone, i.e. of height and breadth, while ' fore- Christ in the West, under the spell of the shortening' (seorcio) made possible by the historic-narrative art initiated in Greece and introduction of the oblique line (pbliquita) is further developed in Rome. The weapons the result of our apprehension of the third offered by art were too powerful to be de- dimension or depth. To replace parallelism spised, yet to portray Buddha himself—to fix by foreshortening was, according to della the form of him who had denied the absolute Seta, the supreme achievement of Greek art value of any form in the world of phenomena which handed on foreshortening to be ' the —must have seemed the rudest blow dealt to patrimony of all the peoples who entered his teaching, and the Buddhism of Northern directly or indirectly within the pale of Greek India therefore at first effected a compromise civilization; that is, it passed through Christ- by accepting the scenes from the life of ian art into the art of all Europe, and it Buddha, but by suppressing his image. ' But passed through Buddhist art into the art of Buddhism had in vain hoped to save its NO. CLXXXIX. VOL. XXI. p