Samnite Sanctuary at Pietrabbondante, Archaeological site in Pietrabbondante, Italy
The Samnite Sanctuary at Pietrabbondante occupies a steep slope at 966 m above sea level, about a kilometre from Monte Saraceno. The site covers roughly 200 by 150 metres and holds a theatre, two temples and a portico with shops. The smaller Temple A stands northeast of the theatre; the larger Temple B lies behind it. The buildings share parallel east-southeast axes and drop about eight metres from west to east.
Built in the last decades of the 2nd century and the first of the 1st century BC as a single planned project, the sanctuary was a federal meeting place of the Samnite Pentri, not only a venue for stage games like other Samnite sanctuaries. Inscriptions of the 2nd century BC record dedications by the state's supreme magistrates. A bronze tablet found near the larger temple bears a votive dedication to the goddess Victoria, to whom weapons taken from enemies were consecrated.
The place reveals how the Samnites honored their gods through offerings and rituals visible in the remaining artifacts. The inscriptions and artworks scattered across the site tell us what mattered to the people who lived here.
The sanctuary lies on a steep slope at 966 m, with about eight metres of drop between its western and eastern ends; sturdy shoes are needed. The site is reached from the modern village of Pietrabbondante, about one kilometre away, along a path that follows the slope. No major road crosses the area.
A bronze tablet found near the larger temple records a votive offering to the goddess Victoria. Most weapons unearthed in the oldest levels were war booty consecrated here as trophies, which explains why comparable finds are almost absent from other Samnite sites.
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