Museo Civico

The first room of the museum is in the ancient vaulted crypt of San Nicolò di Piazza.  Two columns divide it into six bays.  The wall on the right was part of the Roman forum.  This room now provides the main exhibition space of the museum. 

[Photo courtesy of Sistema Museo]

The passage at the end on the right contains a collection of Roman inscriptions.  Beyond the point at which it widens, you can see the pavement of the Roman forum  and the drainage channel beside it. 

This passage leads to the excavations that were carried out in 1836 that revealed the original setting of the Temple "of Minerva".

Assisi before the Social Wars

Cippus (ca. 2nd century BC)
(Exhibit ???)

This cippus, which may have been found outside Porta Moiano, bears a short inscription in the Umbrian language, using the Latin alphabet.

Plaster cast of a cippus (2nd century BC)
(Exhibit 6)

The original cippus, which is in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Perugia, was found in 1742 at Ospedalicchio, near Bastia.  The inscription, which is in the Umbrian language and uses the Latin alphabet, records the demarcation of a piece of land, and is dated with reference to the serving magistrates of Assisi. 

Plaster cast of an inscription from San Rufino (2nd century BC)
(Exhibit 22) 

The original inscription is over an arch that leads to a Roman cistern that now forms the foundation for the campanile of San Rufino.  It is one of the earliest in Latin to survive in an Umbrian city.

Plaster cast of an inscription from Santa Maria Maggiore (2nd century BC)
(Exhibit 7)

The original inscription, which reads "Iter precar(ium)" is on the outer surface of the architrave of a narrow opening  in the Roman wall that now serves to terrace the garden of Santa Maria Maggiore (see Walk II).  This seems to indicate that passage was granted “by prayer” or on request.

Cinerary urn (2nd century BC)
(Exhibit 16)

This urn, which was found at Viole outside Assisi, was probably made in Perugia.  The fine relief depicts the deceased reclining on a couch while a child, probably his son, pulls his grieving wife away.

Cinerary urn (late 2nd century BC)
(Exhibit 2)

[Photo courtesy of Global Center]

The Latin inscription reveals that this was the urn of C(aius) Egnati(us), son of Sal(vius), who is shown reclining on a couch with his wife to the left.  The urn, which was found in the Piazza del Vescovado (see Walk II), was probably made in Perugia.

This is one of three surving inscriptions that relate to the Egnatius family.

Cinerary urn and lid (early 1st century BC)
(Exhibits 18 a and b)

This travertine urn, which was discovered at an unrecorded location in the 16th century, was probably made in Perugia.  The rather corpulent deceased is shown reclining on a couch, and the lid (exhibited nearby) depicts a gorgon’s head with a phallus above.

The Municipium

“Minerva” (late 2nd or early 1st century BC)
(Exhibit 19)

This large fragment of a marble figure of a seated goddess was discovered in the 16th century beneath the Piazza del Comune: the earliest surviving documentary reference to it dates to 1572.   Its sculptor was clearly familiar with Greek prototypes.

The iconography of the statue is similar to that used for the Roman goddesses Magna Mater and Fortuna.  However, the absence of the upper part of the figure makes further identification impossible.  The statue was thought to represent Minerva when it was first discovered, and the nearby Temple was consequently believed to have been dedicated to this goddess. 

Male nude (late 1st century BC or early 1st century AD)
(Exhibit 17)

Castor or Pollux ?? [Photo courtesy of  Global Center]

This statue was found in 1836 during the excavation of the Roman forum.  It is badly damaged and missing the head and parts of the arms.

The figure probably held a sword in its left hand, and might have been used to represent Castor or Pollux in the tetrastyle in the forum (see below).

This statue was also found in 1836 during the excavation of the Roman forum.  It is badly damaged and missing the head and the lower parts of the arms.  The fact that the figure wears a toga suggests that he was a Roman citizen, perhaps one of the magistrates of the municipium.

These inscriptions relating to the Petronius family are associated with:

• the Roman mausoleum at the corner of Piazza Matteotti and Via Torrione; and

• the nearby amphitheatre,

 both of which are described in Walk I.

Funerary Stele (1st century AD)
(Exhibit 5)

The inscription identifies the deceased as Q(uintus) Veiano Himero, one of the Seviri Augustale.  The relief depicts his portrait bust under a garland with a scroll to the left, a book to the right and a hunting scene below.

Cinerary Urn (1st century AD)
(Exhibit 8)

[Photo courtesy of Global Center]

This urn was found in the Piazza del Vescovado (see Walk II).  The Latin inscription identifies the deceased as C(aius) Egnatius, son of C(aius): he is depicted in a toga, suggesting that he was a Roman citizen. 

This is one of three surving inscriptions that relate to the Egnatius family.

(Exhibit ???)

This inscription (1st century AD), which is on what was probably the base of a statue, relates the largesse of this accomplished freedman. 

Artefacts from the “House of Propertius” (1st century AD)
(Case 6)

These artefacts were found in 1864 during excavations on the site of the so-called House of Propertius (see Walk II).  They include part of a marble relief of a naked satyr, and (on the wall above the glass case) fragments of frescoes of flowers and marine animals.

Fresco fragments (late 1st or early 2nd century AD)
(Case 5)

[Photo credit to follow]

These fragments were found in 1863 during the excavation of a Roman domus at the corner of Via Rocchi and Via dei Macelli Vecchi.  They include a fine fresco that probably represents Perseus, [who was born after Zeus appeared to the princess Danae  and then seduced her].

Sarcophagus (2nd or 3rd century AD)
(Exhibit 1)

This marble striated sarcophagus was recomposed in the early 20th century from the fragments that had been distributed acorss the city.  There is a fine relief of Dionysius and fellow revellers in a tabernacle.  The remains of reliefs of elephants can be seen on the end faces.  Part of the sarcophagus was re-used for a burial in the 15th century).

Archaeological Area

As noted above, the corridor leads to the excavations that were carried out in 1839 some 5 metres below the Piazza del Comune by the French archaeologist Charles Victor Famin.

Impression of the temple above its terrace After P. Gros and D. Theodorescu "Le mur nord du ‘forum' d’Assise" Mélanges de l’Ecole Française d’ Athéne et Rome 97 (1985) 879-897

The wall on the left formed the Roman terrace under the pronaus of the Temple, and contains the entrances to two flights of steps (one on each side of the temple) that provided access to it from the forum.  The holes at regular intervals in the upper part of the wall between these two entrances were originally used to fix a bronze decorative frieze of garlands in place. 

A large area of the Roman pavement (early 1st century BC) in front of this terrace has been excavated, together with the remains of two monumental structures (1st century AD):

• a podium in front of the tearrace wall that probably formed part of a tribune used by the magistrates of the municipium; and

• the base of a four-columned tabernacle or tetrastyle that stood in front of it, towards the centre of the forum. 
  

The wall continues to the right of the Temple, although the style of its construction changes: the stone blocks in this less prestigious location become smaller and less regular.  This part of the wall was probably used for the display of laws and decrees promulgated by the government of the municipium.  The remains of a munumental fountain can be seen at the extreme right.

Evidence of three important inscriptions were found during the excavations:

• The tetrastyle partly obscures the holes left by the bronze letters in the pavement that recorded the names of the magistrates responsible for paving the forum.

• The surviving inscription on the rear of the tetrastyle reveals that it housed statues of Castor and Pollux, and names the donors as Galeo Tettienus Pardalas and his wife (or mother) Tettiena Galene. 
  

• The long inscription on the terrace to the right of the Temple records the magistrates who were in office when this part of the complex was built (or perhaps renovated).

Continue to the east end of the archaeological area to see the remains of the portico that once extended along this and the other two sides of the forum, and of the medieval shops behind it.

Read more:

M. Matteini Chiari (Ed.), "Raccolte Comunale di Assisi", Milan (2005)

F. Annbali, "Guida al Museo Civico di Assisi e agli Scavi Archeologici della Città", Assisi (1995)

Return to Walk III