Compsa Romana. Sviluppo storico e architettonico

The present study has as object the historical-architectural analysis of the old city of Compsa (AV), and in particular on buildings belonging to the Forum. The examined context has been victim of agents of destruction like earthquakes, we remember the one of the 1980’s that has completely destroyed the modern town bringing to light the Roman structures. The absence of an organic study, suggested a new comparative analysis of historical and literary sources with the archaeological evidence useful for the comprehension of the historical evolution, of the architectonical phases and of the spatial relationships that exist between the different monumental buildings with the plan urban's city. The new reading of the sources, which cover a chronological space between the 3rd century b.C. up to the middle of the 4th century a.D., allows us to rebuild the most important historical events, to understand the social and political meaning of the building of public buildings but also to highlight the continuity lines and fracture between the different ages. At the current knowledge it was necessary to make a new stratigraphic reading, to recognize the different actions made by humans and a new exam, more detailed, of the building technics, useful to determinate the diachronic evolution and the recognizing of buildings. The historic research and the stratigraphic analysis allow to identify 5 different periods of Compsa, divided in phases, activity groups and activity. In the 1st period (VII-V century b.C.) the settlement is organized in little families who lived in huts. In the 2nd period (IV-III century b.C.), the settlement gradually becomes a permanent habitation thanks probably to the Samnites / Irpini. In the 3rd period (II – second half I century b.C.) there had been a significant architectural development of the hill after the Romanization and urbanization process of south of Italy which modified the territory organization and, even more, the politic life and the social development of Compsa. With the birth of municipium, the city was provided with new public buildings and representation. Later also the whole of the Forum complex was built, characterized by the presence of the Capitolium, of the Basilica, of a little Sacellum and porticus which delineated the royal square to which was accessed through a monumental entrance. In the 4th period (end I century b.C. – II century a.D.) is certified a new urbanistic and architectural project featured by the monumentalization of some buildings of the Forum, by the square’s flooring with plates, thanks to two local magistrates, and probably a new Temple dedicated to the imperial cult. The rest of the town was equipped with other public building like the Amphitheatre and therms, probably built by important local persons. In the 5th period (III-IV century a.D.) were done just little restorations that, though few, showed that the Forum continued to be an important place in the social life of the city until the middle of the 4th century a.D., time when the town started changing its appearance. Nevertheless Compsa continued to cover a territorial relevance and it was proved by the several occupation of Late Antique age and Medieval. The periods description and of the life phases of the Forum was followed from graphical documentation: phase plants, interpretative plants, plants reconstructed, elevations reconstructed of the Forum and plants reconstructed of the city.