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Mountains
and plains, long green tracks in the place of roads: the land of the
Samnites, the Italic people who as early as the 8th century
BC possessed well defined characteristics. The Pentri lived in
the more internal and mountainous area and the Frentani in the
coastal areas. The Samnites, animal farmers and wool traders, worked
wool, ceramic, iron and skins.
Their
clash with the Romans took place in the 4th century BC. The
Romans, in the more impervious areas of Samnium, suffered humiliating
defeats. They finally emerged victorious after an extenuating struggle
that culminated in the battle of Aquilonia (293 BC). They then
colonised Samnium, founding several municipia. The new paths of
communication followed the courses of the sheep tracks. Many country
villas were built on the territory to promote agriculture.
Nowadays,
imposing archaeological monuments, distributed throughout the Molise,
provide a valid testimony of the region's Samnite and Roman past.
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