Conflicts with the Roman kingdom Considered an
Etruscan, but also a
Latin settlement of
Alban foundation—archeological findings proved a
Latial origin—it was at the frontier of Roman territory and occasionally changed hands between Rome and
Veii. In the 8th century BC during the reign of
Rome's first king,
Romulus, the Fidenates and the Veientes were
defeated in a war with Rome, according to legend. It may be that a colony was established there after the defeat as
Livy afterwards describes Fidenae as a Roman colony. Fidenae and Veii were
defeated by Rome in the mid 7th century BC during the reign of Rome's third king
Tullus Hostilius, and again by Rome's fifth king
Tarquinius Priscus in the early 6th century BC.
Conflicts with the Roman Republic In the early
Roman Republic, Fidenae made a decision that was to cost them much of their land in favor of the new
Claudia gens, formed from
Sabine defectors.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, last king of Rome, having been expelled from it, at first looked for intervention from the
Etruscans.
Lars Porsenna of
Clusium, dissatisfied with Superbus' conduct and ethics, made peace with the new republic. The Tarquins then subverted
Latium.
Sextus Tarquinius, whose rape of
Lucretia had triggered the overthrow of the monarchy (if he was not assassinated at
Gabii), convinced the Sabines to go to war against Rome, arguing that previous treaties had been annulled by the expulsion of the kings. The Tarquins were now interested in Latin intervention. After some minor conflicts in which Rome was victorious, the Sabines took a vote and resolved on an invasion of the city of Rome (with perhaps the previous example in memory). The Tarquins brought in Fidenae and
Cameria, formerly Roman allies. The
total defeat of the Sabines in 505/504 BC was followed by the siege of Fidenae. The city was taken only a few days later: the Romans assembled their prisoners and executing the senior officers before them (whipped by the rods and beheaded by the axe of the
fasces, a standard punishment for treason), let the rest go with a stern warning. A garrison was placed in Fidenae, and its members were given much of its land. The Claudii are not mentioned in connection with the battle, but they had been given land north of the
Anio river, some of which was at Fidenae. They could only collect on that offer if Fidenae was defeated, the implication being that they were being invited to participate in the campaign; they may even have been the garrison. Fidenae appears to have fallen permanently under Roman domination after its
capture in 435 BC by the Romans, and is spoken of by classical authors as a place almost deserted in their time. It seems, however, to have had some importance as a post station.
Stadium disaster In 27 AD, an apparently cheaply built wooden
amphitheatre constructed by an entrepreneur named
Atilius collapsed in Fidenae, resulting in what was said to be the worst
stadium disaster in history, with at least 20,000 killed and many more injured out of the total audience of 50,000. The emperor
Tiberius had banned gladiatorial games, and when the prohibition was lifted, the public had flocked to the earliest events, so a large crowd was present when the stadium collapsed. At the time of the incident, Tiberius was in
Capri, where he had a secure getaway, but he rushed to Fidenae to assist the victims of this incident. The
Roman Senate responded to the tragedy by banning people with a fortune of less than 400,000
sesterces from hosting gladiator shows, and also requiring that all amphitheatres built in the future be erected on a sound foundation, inspected and certified for soundness. The government also "
banished" Atilius. A digital reconstruction found the reported casualties to be consistent with a wooden structure similar in size to the still-standing stone structure of
the amphitheatre in Verona. ==See also==