The origins of Aquileia date back a long time ago.
In the place where, already in the proto-historic period, it used to trade
amber from the North bartering it for seaborne items arriving from the
Mediterranean and the Middle East docks, the Romans founded in 181 BC a
colony. From a military outpost to a capital of the "X Regio Venetia et
Histria", the city developed rapidly because of exclusive military reasons
relating to expansionist aims of Roman Empire towards central European and
Balkan regions.
Aquileia became flourishing and prosperous thanks
to the vast trade through a functional and capillary road network. It used
to have mighty defensive walls and enormous buildings such as circus,
amphitheatre, theatre, thermal baths, forum at the crossing between the main
cardo and decumanus. It reached its peak during Caesar 's empire: its
inhabitans were more than 200.000 and became one of the biggest and richest
city of the whole Empire.
It was the residence of many emperors, its palace
was very visited, till Constantino the Great and longer. With Attila's
destruction in the middle of Vth century AD, there was the final economical
and social collapse of Aquileia that lasted till the Medieval period.
Aquileia remained an important political and cultural center, also during
Hungarian invasions (Xth century AD), notwithstanding it was a problem area
of the Empire, meeting point of Latin, German and Slav civilization.
Patriarch of Aquileia was always close and
friendly to the political power even when the power became German. In 1077
emperor Henry IV granted to Sigeardo Patriarca the feudal investiture with
the ducal title over the County, giving the origin of the "Stato della
Patria del Friuli".
Following the ancient Roman road “via
Iulia Augusta”, which joined the Adriatic to the Norico,
about ten kilometers away
from the sea and in the middle of green and highly
cultivated countryside, one comes upon the archaeological
area of Aquileia, a town founded by the Romans in 181 B.C.
Aquileia at the height of its splendor under the
Augustan Empire had a population of some 200,000 people, and
was a first level commercial center thanks to the excellent
road network which connected it to central Italy, to the
East and to Norico. Nevertheless, the true heart of this
merchant town was the river port, which had a dock almost 50
meters wide, that was easily reached by the flat bottomed
ships coming up from the Natissa river from the sea port in
Grado. Behind the port was the forum and an initial area
reserved for the market place.
Over the following centuries, internal wars, raids,
external reprisals and rapid incursions threatened Aquileia,
which being involved in the greater crisis of the Empire,
slowly began to acquire a new face, becoming the missionary
and ecclesiastic organisation center with the arrival of
Christianity.
Nevertheless, the decline of Aquileia came to a head in
452 A.D. when Attila the
“scourge of God”, burnt the whole area to the ground, and
afterwards it is traditionally said - that after doing so he
went to enjoy the show of the “great Aquileia” fire, from
the hills of Udine.
The city was not totally abandoned, however, above all for
its value as a symbolic headquarters of the first martyred
bishop, Ermacora, who was converted at the same time as the
faithful deacon Fortunato, directly from Saint Mark’s sermon.
The Basilica and National Archeological Museum are of great importance.
Art and culture
Inside the city's walls, the most important archeological site in
northern Italy, there were houses and palaces, monumental squares,
official buildings and a river port where heavy cargo ships docked
loaded with goods. Many are the Roman ruins still visible today among
which: the Roman Forum, the Roman graveyard, the Fluvial port, the
street and some Roman houses; other places to visit: the Popone's
Basilica, its beautiful mosaic floor, campanile, baptistery and crypts;
then there are also: the Archeological Museum, the Early Christian
Museum and the Civic Museum (Museo Civico).
Among its environmental properties there is a beautiful naturalistic
trail "Anello Pineta di San Marco - Belvedere - Boscat".
Information on art and culture from: "Guida Artistica del Friuli Venezia Giulia"
by Giuseppe Bergamini
Aquileia
Nevertheless, the decline of Aquileia came to a head in
452 A.D. when Attila the
“scourge of God”, burnt the whole area to the ground, and
afterwards it is traditionally said - that after doing so he
went to enjoy the show of the “great Aquileia” fire, from
the hills of Udine.