COMUM
(Como) Lombardy, Italy.
One of
the most important Roman cities in Regio XI, it was
colonized under Caesar, with the name Novuin Comum,
near the villages that formed the Comum oppidum of
Titus Livius. The city had a orthogonal plan covering
an area 445 by 550 m. Imposing city walls in stone from
the late Republican period remain. The insulae, still recognizable in the urban area, were 75 m on each side. The
city was also of military importance in the late antique
period. Remains are still visible of the gate called praetoria on the decumanus maximus, as well as stretches of
walls and of a bath building with a library (
CIL V, 5262)
erected outside the city walls by Pliny the Younger. He,
like his uncle Pliny the Elder, the naturalist, was born
at Comum.
Of interest among the objects in the Archaeological
Civic Museum is the Aiaterial from the Ca' Morta necropoleis, which encompass the Late Bronze Age and the
entire Iron Age. The collection includes a military parade
cart, Greek bronze sculpture, sacred and funerary inscriptions, and a figured Early Christian mosaic.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
C. Albizzati, “Un ritratto di Licinia
Eudoxia,”
AttiPontAcc 2, 15 (1921) 337ff; id., “Una
scultura greca arcaica del Museo Giovio di Como,”
RendPontAcc 3 (1924-25) 317ff; F. Frigerio, “Antiche porte
di città italiche e romane,”
Riv. Arch. Comense 108-10
(1934-35) 5-52; G. Caniggia,
Lettura di una crittà:
Como (1963); G. Luraschi, “Comum oppidum,”
Riv.
Arch. Comense 152-54 (1970-72) 7-154; M. Mirabella
Roberti, “L'urbanistica romana di Como e alcune recenti
scoperte,”
Atti Convegno centenario Riv. Arch. Comense
(1973).
M. MIRABELLAROBERTI
