Castrum Truentinum

•  Story

In Roman times, Truentum, the ancient Martinsicuro was an important harbour of the southern Picenum and as such represented a crucial junction for commercial exchanges for the present territory of Teramo as well as for the territory of Ascoli.

Moreover here merged two of the main consular roads: the Salaria (a road which connected the Adriatic coast with the Capital city) and the Traiana (which connected the Flaminia with the Tiburtina).

It was this strategical position which lead the Romans, in the 3^rd century B.C., to fortify the zone around the harbour which they named Castrum Truentinum.

• The excavations

The ancient coastline must have been at about a kilometre and two-hundred metres away from the present foreshore.

During the excavations lead in the 90's the rests of some of the ancient town's constructions were dug up thus revealing an articulate “commercial borough” that might have been constructed before the 2^nd century B.C.

The structure followed a long ancient stone street layout which merged with smaller side gravel lanes. The urban street net must have been rather regular and made of rectangular complexes such as warehouses and minor official buildings, for the most equipped with clay pavements.

Further materials were found on the site: ceramics, coins and bronze fingers which must have belonged to a complex of monumental statues, similar in make and period to the ones of Cartocceto. This allows to think that an important public building was constructed in the 1^st century A.D.

The rests of the settlement will soon be exhibited at the Antiquarium di Castrum Truentinum, inside the tower Torre Carlo V.

Information taken from the "Rete della Cultura Abruzzese" - Regione Abruzzo (Sezione Siti Archeologici).