PATAVIUM (mod. Padova, Eng. Padua, q.v.)

This article appears in Volume V20, Page 902 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: PAS-PER

PATAVIUM (mod. Padova, Eng. Padua, q.v.) , an ancient city of Venetia, Italy, S5 M. E. of Verona by road. Its central position gave it

great

GREAT

importance. One road led from it south-west to

Ateste

ATESTE (mod. Este, q.v.)

, Hostilia (where the Po was crossed) and Bononia; another

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

-north-

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

to Altinum and Concordia. It was accessible by canals from the sea, a distance of about 30 M. The old town (40 ft. above sea-level) lay and lies on a peninsula surrounded by the Bacchiglione except on the south, where it was protected by a canal. Of the bridges which cross the canals by which Padua is now intersected, four go back to Roman times. Remains of a public building, possibly belonging to the forum, were found in the centre of the modern city in making the foundations of the Caffe Pedrocchi at the south-west angle of Piazza Cavourpossibly a colonnade of fine Corinthian architecture (see P. Selvatico, Relazione dello Scavo . . . su la Piazzetta Pedrocchi. A large mosaic with geometric designs was also
recently discovered in the centre of the city. In imperial times the town spread even farther, as is shown by the position outside the town of the amphitheatre, built of blocks of local stone with brick courses, which was excavated in 1881 (G. Ghirardini in Notizie degli Scavi, 1881, 225). It

measures

MEASURES

325 by 205 ft., and is the only Roman building of which visible remains exist. A so-called " paletta " (a bronze

plate

PLATE

with a handlepossibly a bell or a votive axe or a simple pendant) with a figure of a horse on one side and a votive inscription on the other, belonging to the sth or 4th century B.C., was found in 1899 at a

great

GREAT

depth close to the church of S. Antonio (G. Ghirardini in Notizie degli Scavi, 1901, 314). The name of the town is probably connected with Padua (Pa). According to the legend it was founded by the Trojan Antenor. The memory of the defeat of the Spartan king Cleonymus by the

fleet

FLEET

of Patavium in 302 B.C. was perpetuated by Spartan spoils in the temple of Juno and a yearly sea-fight which took place on the river. On land Patavium was equally powerful (it had been able, we are told, to put 120,000 men into the field), and perpetually made war against its Celtic neighbours. Patavium acquired Roman citizenship with the rest of Gallia Transpadana in 49 B.C. Under

Augustus

AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

, Strabo tells us, Patavium surpassed all the cities of the north in wealth, and in the number of Roman knights among its citizens in the census of

Augustus

AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

was only equalled by Gades, which had also Soo.
Its commercial importance was also great, being especially due to its trade in wool. The numerous

inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS (from Lat. inscribere, to write upon)

, however, as Th. Mommsen remarks (Corp. inscr. latin. v. 268), show remarkable dignity and simplicity and avoidance of pomposity; to this Pliny the younger and Martial testify. The importance of Patavium as a literary centre was also considerable. Livy, Q. Asconius Pedianus and Thrasea Paetus were natives of the town; and Quintilian speaks of the directness and simplicity of their diction as Patavinitas, comparing it with the artificial obscurity of the writers of Rome itself.
After the 2nd century A.D. it is hardly mentioned, and seems to have been outstripped by other cities, such as

Milan

MILAN
MILAN (Ital. Milano, Ger. Mailand, anc. Mediolanum, q.v.)

and Aquileia. It was destroyed by the Lombards with fire and sword, and it was then that it lost practically all its monuments of the Roman period. (T. As.)

End of Article: PATAVIUM (mod. Padova, Eng. Padua, q.v.)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/PAS_PER/PATAVIUM_mod_Padova_Eng_Padua_.html">
PATAVIUM (mod. Padova, Eng. Padua, q.v.)
</a>

(Previous)
PATAS MONKEY

(Next)
PATEL, FRAMJEE NASARWANJEE (1804-1894)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email