Defence Systems in Irpinia (4th-1st centuries BC). An overview from archaeological data to «architettura rappresentata»

Abstract

The Samnite and Roman defensive systems in the Irpinian area are far fewer in number than in neighbouring Samnium and Lucania. However, it is necessary to know these sites, their purposes and times of occupation in order to understand the settlement dynamics that characterised the Irpinian territory at a crucial moment in its history, between the 4^th and 1^st centuries BC. This paper analyses fortifications first of all from the point of view of location choice, typology, construction techniques and building materials; then, the defensive systems are also compared with some archaeological data on peopling dynamics emerging from recent research on the Irpinian landscapes. An overview of these contexts is therefore proposed, highlighting some suggestive and sometimes recurring features that may open up new research topics. At the end of the paper, the overview is completed by some considerations on the representations of defensive walls on a particular type of reliefs: models of city gates and towers from the same territorial contexts.