Vestini

The Vestini were an ancient Italic tribe that lived in central Italy, in a place now called Abruzzo. Their land was between the Gran Sasso mountain and the Aterno river. Today, this area includes places like L'Aquila, Ofena, Prata d'Ansidonia, Penne, and Pescara.

Their most important towns were Pitinum, near modern L'Aquila, Aufinum in Ofena, Peltuinum in Prata d'Ansidonia, Pinna in Penne, and Aternum in Pescara. They shared Aternum with another tribe called the Marrucini. The Vestini were part of the larger group of Italic peoples who lived in Italy long ago.

Historical geography

The Vestini were an ancient group of people who lived in a mountainous area in what is now central Italy. A writer named Strabo described their land about 100 years after a big conflict called the Social War. He said the southern border of their land was the Aternus River, which is now called the Aterno-Pescara. The town of Aternum, now called Pescara, was shared with another group called the Marrucini. Other nearby groups, the Peligni, also used the same port.

Later, a writer named Ptolemy listed some of the Vestini’s towns, including Pinna, Avia, Amiternum (which may have been a mistake for Aufina), and Angulus. Another writer, Pliny the Elder, also mentioned a town called Peltuina and noted that the Vestini were part of a region organized by Augustus called Regio IV.

History

The period of Vestinian sovereignty

A Vestini sculpture called the Warrior of Capestrano, made around the 6th century BC, was found in Capestrano, in the province of L'Aquila. It shows a Vestini king named Naevius Pompuledius.

The Vestini tribe joined an agreement with Rome in 302 BC. They kept their independence and made their own coins. Their own way of speaking lasted for many years, even with influence from nearby places.

Romanization

Old Latin writings from the area show that the Vestini spoke a little differently from people in Rome. These writings help us learn about how the Vestini lived long ago. One writing from Furfo uses an old style of letters. Another from Scoppito shows that part of the Aternus valley was still Vestini land.