Surveying Falerii Novi: Rethinking the development of a Roman town

The traditional story of the foundation of Falerii Novi is a dramatic one. This town lies in the Tiber valley, about 44km north of Rome, within the former territory of the Faliscans. Today, this group has been largely eclipsed in popular perceptions of Rome’s rise by their more famous neighbours, the Etruscans. Both groups, though, found themselves at the sharp end of Rome’s ambitions, as the burgeoning power in central Italy began to expand northwards. Conflict between the Faliscans and Rome is recorded as early as 438 BC, with intermittent fighting continuing until 351 BC, when a peace treaty was agreed. The relationship between the two groups soured again during the First Punic War, w