Peltuinum (Prata d'Ansidonia, L'Aquila). Il teatro romano e il quartiere tardo-medievale di demolizione: lavori in corso

Peltuinum is a Roman town founded in Central Apennines in mid 1st c. B.C. along the transhumance track from Sabina to Apulia. The city is not a permanent settlement due to violent earthquakes that hit the region. After a summary of the research carried out since the eighties of last century in the archaeological area, the paper draws the results of recent investigations in the theatre area. The 5th c. earthquakes caused the start of the theatre dismantling to furnish building material to many new constructions, from the small fortress built on the southern part of the theatre itself to the neighbouring sites. Over time, in this activity, an important role was played by the reconstruction of the close church dedicated to St. Paul. For this purpose, a masons’ quarter was built again in the theatre area. Archaeological excavations got through Roman, Medieval and Renaissance layers, documenting the workers’ districts chronology between 13th and 15th c. New technologies help communicate the research’s outcome.