Water and Sky. The cult of Mefitis and the seasons
Itinerary 3
Water and Sky. The cult of Mefitis and the seasons
Hidden by the thick vegetation, which covers the lush Matese massif, are the remains of settlements and sacred areas built by the Samnites in highland sites, a favourable position for the development of their communities and the control of the neighbouring lands. An anthropic presence capable of leaving, from century to century, traces of evocative monumentality that tell the story of experience, creation and the sacredness of the places. A complex relationship with the natural element from which man has drawn resources, raised defences and traced paths, maintaining the difficult coexistence with adverse environmental events over time. Among these mountains, at 953 meters above sea level, in visual contact with the Tammaro valley, stands the fortified settlement (Terravecchia) conquered by the consul Lucius Papyrus Cursor in 293 BC during the Third Samnite War. Not far away, halfway between Roman Saepinum and the Samnite stronghold, in the locality of San Pietro dei Cantoni, the Italic sanctuary dedicated to Mefitis was built, goddess of springs who oversees the loving sphere of motherhood, propitiates exchanges and rites of passage, and puts the ethereal gods in contact with the earth. Water, which flows from the earth or comes from the sky, thus becomes the element of union between man and the divine and with its continuous and impetuous flow gives life, renews time and covers the paths of people with sacredness.
Mefitis, multifaceted goddess
Itinerary 3
Mefitis, multifaceted goddess
Clear, luxuriant, energetic, the water springs from the Matese mountains, flows through the woods and, as an element of nature in perpetual movement, manifests itself, permeates the soil, cares for and generates life. In Italic culture, the water resource is the sacred symbol that welcomes man’s devotion and reveals the divine intercessions of Mefitis, goddess of the female universe capable of showing men what is hidden. Like water, it changes in shape and strength, nourishes and provides sustenance. The prayers addressed to the one who is in the middle, between heaven and earth, are raised with the breath of the trees so that domestic affections and agricultural work are protected, human and animal procreation are fostered, there is support in the passages of life or in the transhumance of herds during the year. Among the votive offerings offered in the sanctuary of San Pietro dei Cantoni, a splendid bronze statuette depicting Mefitis, a gift from Trebis Dekis, was found. The goddess has the appearance of a young woman and holds a migratory duck in her left hand, a small bird that symbolizes the alternation of the seasons and is a connector between the celestial vault and the earthly world, as it is able to fly and live by the sweet waters in search of refreshment. Like a spring generated from the belly of the earth, with her vibrant flow Mefitis manifests her multifaceted energy, accompanies men in the seasons of life and offers her divine protection to those who entrust themselves to her.
Gifts to the goddess: the earring with the lion protome
Itinerary 3
Gifts to the goddess: the earring with the lion protome
Amidst the mountains, on a large and sun-drenched terrace made by man, rises the sacred area of San Pietro dei Cantoni, a place for prayer protected by a walled enclosure made of polygonal masonry. Inside, in the two sacred buildings, cults were celebrated in honour of the deities dear to the Italic world, the goddess Mefitis and Hercules, to whom votive offerings of thanksgiving and prayer were offered in order to obtain protection, fertility, relief, and care. From the votive deposit, containing a varied repertoire of objects dated to the third century BC that were offered to Mefitis, the female devotional world is manifested in its entirety. Here, a pair of gold earrings in the shape of a cornucopia with a lion protome was found, splendid and precious jewels, produced in Taranto, that an offeror has entrusted to the goddess as a future invocation or a promise to be kept following a divine intercession received.
Water through the city
Itinerary 3
Water through the city
With the promotion to the rank of municipium, a phase of great building fervour began on the pre-existing Samnite settlement to which urban and monumental forms were bestowed. To ensure the water supply, it was decided to exploit the natural outflow of water caused by the slight slope of the land; on this orientation the Forum was built, the large paved square with a trapezoidal shape bordered by two drainage channels placed on the east and south sides so that, following the slight slope of the surface, rainwater was conveyed into the large sewer below the pavement. It is no coincidence that,not far from the junction with the pipeline, along the north-eastern side of the Decumanus, we find the industrial districtthe public baths, the splendid Fountain of the Griffin with the stone manhole cover and the mill, a structure consisting of a rectangular pit in which a water wheel was placed manoeuvred by a jet of water. A system of small sluices with stone guides determined the pressure necessary for the movement of the grinding wheels arranged in the compartment behind the pit, which produced energy that could be used for different features and purposes.
The city below the city: the leaden fistula
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The city below the city: the leaden fistula
Following the urban layout of Saepinum, it is possible to recognize ingenious solutions applied to facilitate the water supply and to convey water in a functional way towards the buildings, avoiding problems related to stagnation. The city built on the surface, distinguished between residential districts and public areas, corresponds to an extension that moves below the streets and buildings, whose systems are not visible but nonetheless connected to the urban structures above. This is the articulated drainage network for public and private supply that joins the complex surface water system consisting of canals, cisterns, wells, fountains and manholes. Over the years, numerous fragments of fistulae aquariaemade out of lead have been found, the remains of which testify to the uses and practices related to water but also bear the names of the benefactors who promoted the construction of infrastructural public works. In the water pipe found in the campus-pool-porticus complexthere is an inscription in relief by Lucius Saepinius Abascantus, a craftsman who had probably taken on the work of laying the pipes of the aqueduct on behalf of the municipality.
Re-appearances
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Re-appearances
With the succession of unstable periods caused by wars and continuous enemy raids, the area in the plains became insecure and the population took refuge in the more easily defensible mountain areas. Saepinum with its small settlement garrison takes the name of Altilia while the community disperses taking refuge in the ancient sites abandoned in the imperial period. In Terravecchia, a square tower was found within the Samnite walls and glazed ceramic materials attest to the frequentation of the fortified settlement until the fourteenth century. The reoccupation of the Italic sanctuary in San Pietro dei Cantoni probably maintained the sacred function of the places, hosting the construction of a Christian ecclesial building constructed on the residual structures of the temple, then abandoned between the seventh and eighth centuries. In this phase, another highland location was chosen for the foundation of the Castellum Sepini (today’s town of Sepino), which inherited the toponym of the Roman city. Fundamental to the construction of this new reality is the rich presence of springs and waterways which, within the walls and in its vicinity, still give clean water to the town’s population through numerous public fountains. Water marks time with its continuous flow and renews the relationship between the inhabitants and the lands.
The repurposing of the ancient: the Fountain of the Mascherone
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The repurposing of the ancient: the Fountain of the Mascherone
The practice of repurposing architectural material from abandoned contexts has greatly affected Saepinum, a centre that has experienced a prolonged and continuous phase of stripping of any elements considered useful for the creation of new living environments. In the village of Sepino, if you look carefully at the modern houses, it is possible to find traces of the reuse of sporadic material from the Roman city, transported to the hills over time. The monumental bas-relief of a beautiful male portrait welcomes those who arrive in Sepino: it has been placed outside the Eastern Gate of the village and, in the composition made with other repurposed materials, constitutes the main character of the so-called Fountain of the Mascherone. The man with thick hair and a curly beard has his mouth open so that, originally, the water from the hydraulic complex of which he was a part could flow copiously. In ancient art, river gods are depicted with human characters, the shape of water becomes a body or a face, and personifies the spirit of the water force that generously offers its clear jet to quench thirst, regenerate and give new principle to things.
AGRO-PASTORAL CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE
The story of peoples and communities
THE DEPTH OF THE WOODS
Landscape and nature
WATER AND SKY
The cult of Mefitis and the seasons
THE BEAUTY OF THE CONSTRUCTED
reconstructed and reconfigured
MOVEMENT AND EXCHANGE
Communication routes