Ocriculum

Ocriculum is an archaeological area covering about 36 hectares. Excavations of the Roman site beginning in 1775 led to the discovery of the baths, a theatre, a basilica, and other buildings. The massive bath complex included a large octagonal room where a spectacular mosaic pavement was found, now preserved in the Vatican Museums in the Sala della Rotonda of the Museo Pio-Clementino. Other important finds from the site include the head of Zeus of Otricoli and the head of Claudius, also displayed in the same gallery. Major structures at the site include a theatre built into the natural slope of the land, a large complex known as the “Great Substructures,” a monumental nymphaeum, and the forum discovered north of the river San Vittore. Several monumental tombs stand within the city near the Via Flaminia, where the ancient road remains well preserved and paved with large basalt stones.

Ocriculum is an archaeological area covering about 36 hectares. Excavations of the Roman site beginning in 1775 led to the discovery of the baths, a theatre, a basilica, and other buildings. The massive bath complex included a large octagonal room where a spectacular mosaic pavement was found, now preserved in the Vatican Museums in the Sala della Rotonda of the Museo Pio-Clementino. Other important finds from the site include the head of Zeus of Otricoli and the head of Claudius, also displayed in the same gallery. Major structures at the site include a theatre built into the natural slope of the land, a large complex known as the “Great Substructures,” a monumental nymphaeum, and the forum discovered north of the river San Vittore. Several monumental tombs stand within the city near the Via Flaminia, where the ancient road remains well preserved and paved with large basalt stones. ==The site== The archaeological area covers about 36 hectares. Excavations on the Roman site in 1775 and following years led to the discovery of the baths, a theatre, a basilica and other buildings. The massive baths buildings include a great "octagonal room’" in which the spectacular mosaic pavement was found, now in the Sala della Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino. Of the many other superb works of art found (many in the Vatican museum) are the celebrated head of Zeus of Otricoli and the head of Claudius both also shown in the Sala della Rotonda. Winter baths to the north also existed as evidenced by inscriptions, referring to their restoration in the 4th century, and statue bases. The theatre is built using the natural slope of the land for its cavea, only the ends having three built-up vaulted structures on both the right and left. Behind the rows of seats are two partially visible ambulatories. Of the upper gallery only a sector covered with a barrel vault remains; the external perimeter is formed by a retaining wall reinforced by pillars. In front of the cavea was the scaenae frons adorned with precious coloured marbles and with statues and decorations including the gigantic Muses now preserved in the Vatican museums. In the city centre next to the theatre is a massive and unique building known as the "Great Substructures" consisting of twelve vaulted rooms on two levels which supported a terrace high above most of the town. It dates from late 1st c. BC to early 1st c. AD. It could have provided a monumental area supporting a temenos (enclosed sacred area) for a temple, similar to sanctuaries of the same period such as at Tibur. The rooms of the upper level have opus reticulatum walls still covered with plaster in some places. It was also perhaps used as a warehouse, given the nearby river port known as "dell'Olio". A smaller version of the substructures nearby expanded the central city area with a terrace. The monumental nymphaeum, 50 m long, is part of a series of buildings that formed a monumental facade on the slope of the valley. It dates from late 1st c. BC and early 1st c. AD and is faced in opus reticulatum and has three fountains in alternating semicircular and rectangular niches. It is connected to the cistern inside the antiquarium Casale San Fulgenz through a system of tunnels and also fed by the river San Vittore. The forum discovered in the excavations of 1778-81 was north of the river San Vittore and included the so-called "basilica" containing many imperial statues, indicating a public building for the imperial cult, or Augusteum. Several monumental tombs unusually stand within the city in the valley near the via Flaminia, one of which is of a large drum form next to a public well and seats and belonged to Lucius Cominus Tuscus, son of Caius, of the Arnensis tribe. The Via Flaminia is well preserved and paved with large basalt stones in front of the tombs.

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