The history of Pescara begins in the Italic period due to its geographically advantageous position as a hub for communication routes between ancient Rome and the Middle Adriatic area, which shaped the development of the settlement from its earliest days.
A maritime village existed along the mouth of the Pescara River as early as the 1st century BC, known as Aternum or Ostia Aterni. In the centuries that followed, Pescara’s strategic location, serving as the gateway to the great valley that divides Abruzzo, consistently influenced its economic and social development. Initially, it functioned primarily as a military stronghold for the defense of southern kingdoms, but from the second half of the 19th century, it became known for its thriving commercial activity and seaside tourism.
Following the bombardments of 1943, which destroyed much of the urban center, the city rapidly rebuilt as a modern regional hub. Benefiting from its strategic position bridging northern and southern Italy, Pescara experienced significant economic, industrial, and touristic growth, forming a large metropolitan area. Within a few years, it became the central hub of the Abruzzo region and the middle Adriatic area..
Prehistory and protohistory
Origins It is believed that the first human settlement was established at the summit of Telegrafo Hill (named for an ancient communication system), approximately 140 meters high and located about one kilometer from the northern coast of the river, on a natural terrace overlooking the valleys of the Pescara and Saline rivers. After a month of excavations conducted in the summer of 2005, artifacts dating back to the 4th millennium BC were uncovered. The work, carried out on the hill’s plateau by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Abruzzo, confirmed that the findings relate to a settlement inhabited during the protohistory (the second prehistoric period spanning the Bronze Age and the Iron Age). The site also shows evidence of occupation during the Roman period. and is documented in historical sources up to the year 1000..
Remains of a farmers’ village from the first half of the 5th millennium BC were found at Colle della Corona, in the hilly area south of the Pescara River near the Fontanelle district.. Numerous necropolises have been discovered in various parts of the city’s hills, and their layouts and arrangements indicate a gradual descent of the population toward the natural landing point at the mouth of the Pescara River. These dynamics fully confirm the attribution of Ostia Aterni to the Vestini by Strabo.
Ancient period
Italic period The earliest inhabitants of the village on the riverbanks were identified in historical sources as being of Pelasgic origin. They crossed the Adriatic Sea from the Dalmatian coast and established an initial emporium.. However, it was the Vestini, the first Italic people, who recognized the strategic importance of the settlement’s location.. Evidence of port activities dating back to the 5th century BC has been found, linked to the settlement on Telegrafo Hill, which persisted into the medieval period. From the 1st century BC,. the Vestini established a permanent presence in the area of Old Pescara.. They developed an efficient port, also used by the Marrucini and Peligni... At the time of initial contact with the Romans, the village was called Vicus Aterni and later, taking the name of the river (then known as Aternus), Aternum. In the imperial period, Pescara was also referred to as Ostia Aterni, as noted in the Tabula Peutingeriana, due to its role as a key hub for communication routes. The name Ostia Aterni specifically denoted the landing at the river’s mouth, as both the city and the Val Pescara were, and remain, the main access route from Abruzzo’s coastal areas to the inland region and Rome..
Roman conquest The Vestini, along with the Marsi, Marrucini, and Peligni, participated in a confederation that clashed with the Roman Republic during the Second Samnite War in 325 BC.. In 304 BC, after the severe defeat of the Aequi by the Romans under the consuls Publius Sempronius Sophus and Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, the neighboring Italic peoples of the Vestini—the Marsi, Peligni, Marrucini, and Frentani—sent ambassadors to Rome to request an alliance, which was granted through a treaty... However, an agreement of foedus with the Vestini was only formalized two years later, in 302 BC,. reflecting their particular hostility toward Rome.. This hostility resurfaced during the Second Punic War: Aternum revolted against Roman control and was subsequently conquered and sacked by the praetor Publius Sempronius Tuditanus in 215 BC..
After more than two centuries of alliance with Rome, the town came under direct Roman control, along with all the territories of Abruzzo and Molise, in 88 BC following the Social War. At the start of the 1st century BC, the Vestini joined the broad coalition of Italic peoples that waged war to secure Roman citizenship, which had been repeatedly denied (91–88 BC).. The Italic army, divided into two groups—one Sabellic led by the Marsian Quintus Poppaedius Silo, the other Samnite under Gaius Papius Mutilus.—included contingents from numerous peoples, with the Vestini led by Gaius Pontidius..
Poppaedius Silo, leading the Marsi and Vestini, successfully ambushed and defeated the Roman Quintus Servilius Caepio in 90 BC.. However, the Vestini were later defeated separately by Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, as part of Rome’s broader victory over the rebellious socii, culminating in the capture of Ascoli by Pompeius..
The Roman city After the Social War, the Lex Iulia de civitate, which granted Roman citizenship to all Italic peoples who remained loyal to Rome, was gradually extended to the rebellious peoples, including the Vestini. Their territories were heavily colonized, especially during the time of Sulla, and from then on, the Romanization of the region, and consequently of Aternum, progressed rapidly, as evidenced by the swift disappearance of Italic languages from written sources, replaced by Latin.. During the Augustan period, Ostia Aterni was part of the Regio IV Samnium, one of the Italian regions of the time, and the Vestini were included in the Quirina tribe. Under Roman rule, the small village developed into a proper town,. reaching its peak development in the 2nd century.. During this period, significant public and private buildings were constructed, supported by the moderate commercial activity of the port. Several temples were built, including one dedicated to Jupiter Aternius.. The presence of an extensive necropolis has been confirmed in the area of Rampigna field, used through late antiquity.. Archaeological evidence,. specifically the discovery in the 18th century of fragments of an inscription on a wall in the Rampigna area and in a courtyard of Villa De Riseis,. preserved in the provincial library of Chieti, attests to the presence of the cult of the goddess Isis in the city.. Other fragments of a bas-relief depicting the Egyptian goddess were found near the canal port on the northern bank. Dating to the early imperial period is the construction of a bridge over the river, located between the old railway bridge and the D’Annunzio bridge, which underwent significant restoration in the 2nd century.. The construction of the new route of the Via Claudia Valeria in 48/49 AD gave the settlement a distinctive elongated triangular shape,. with one vertex at Piazza Unione and the two longer sides formed by the older valley road and the new consular road. Later, a religious building, which in the medieval period would be dedicated to Saint Jerusalem, was constructed. Built in the early decades of the 4th century, this centrally planned structure is presumed to have been a temple or altar dedicated to the deity Victoria, particularly revered during the imperial and Tetrarchic periods, due to an inscription on the rear wall, lost in the 19th century, which clearly read: "(vic)". Its eight-niche design made it nearly identical in size, typology, and construction techniques to the contemporary Mausoleum of Helena in Rome.. This new construction was part of a broader renewal of the city’s infrastructure, including the bridge and port, both to address the poor maintenance during the Crisis of the Third Century. and to reflect the growing importance of the settlement at the start of the 4th century, when Emperor Diocletian chose to build his palace in Salona, in the area that would later become the city of Split.. The Antonine Itinerary mentions a route between Aternum and Salona of 1550 stades.
Despite its relative importance, Aternum never achieved the status of a municipium.. No archaeological remains typical of major Roman centers, such as amphitheaters, thermae, or theaters, have been found.
Barbarian invasions With the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and the rise of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy, the history of Aternum becomes obscure.. It was heavily impacted by the , the bloody Gothic War, and finally the Lombard invasion. In 538, the city, garrisoned by the Ostrogoths under a certain Tremone, was conquered by the magister militum John. on the orders of the strategos autokrator Belisarius, who, after fierce fighting, occupied the oppidum... This occurred shortly after the first siege of Rome during Emperor Justinian I’s attempt at imperial restoration. The Byzantines, stationed in Crecchio and Ortona, strengthened Abruzzo’s port defenses and infrastructure, including those of Aternum,.. which was encircled by walls 3.03 meters thick, or 10 Roman feet, surrounding the remaining settlement between Via Conte di Ruvo, Piazza Unione, the southern floodplain, and Via Orazio... Likely from this period is the construction of the "Castellum ad mare," whose remains were found on Telegrafo Hill, a site inhabited since 3000 BC. This castle played a significant role, both in protecting the village there and as a lookout and defense point for the underlying port of Aternum.. However, Byzantine rule in Italy proved short-lived, with the Lombard invasion beginning in 568.