The Sentinum City Archaeological Research Project (SCARP) investigates the ancient Roman city of Sentinum, located just outside the modern town of Sassoferrato in the region of Marche, near the east coast of Italy. The ancient city was connected to important valleys and paths leading north and east from Umbria toward the Adriatic Sea, such as the Via Flaminia, as well as the local Sentino and Marena rivers. This strategic location provided access to roads and waterways, as well as numerous natural and local resources. There is still much to be learned about Sentinum, but current evidence suggests that inhabitants were present on site by at least the 2nd century BCE, if not earlier. Over the centuries it may have been occupied by populations of Umbrian and Gallic peoples before becoming a Roman municipium, likely in correlation with the Social War.
The site is typically associated with the famous Battle of Sentinum (the so-called "Battle of Nations"), fought in 295 BCE during the Third Samnite War, but whether a settlement existed here at this early date is an open question. The battle, described by the Roman author Livy (The History of Rome, 10.27-30), pitted the Romans against a unified group of Italic peoples, including Samnites, Etruscans, Umbrians, and Gauls. With the Roman victory, Sentinum’s territory fell into Roman control, with Roman settlement likely occurring in the following century. Later, the city was allegedly destroyed in 41-40 BCE after siding with Marc Antony in the civil war against the future emperor Octavian (Augustus). It was rebuilt under Augustus, perhaps adopting the regular grid plan at this juncture, which it retained throughout the imperial era. This is the period with the most robust extant archaeological evidence, but further excavation may shine light on earlier phases of habitation. The city thrived for several hundred years after the Augustan rebuilding until Gothic invasions in the region in the late 4th/early 5th century CE.
The first official excavations at Sentinum began in the 19th century and continued into the mid to late 20th century, although the site had previously been explored sporadically between the 15th and 19th centuries. Several mosaics, sculptures, and inscriptions were brought to light, including the famous Aion Mosaic, now in Munich. Excavations surrounding the city’s forum, near the intersection of its major roads, and an important geophysical survey, took place in the early 2000s, revealing the city’s urban plan. At least two bath complexes (one inside the city walls, the other extramural), the location of the forum, a foundry, sacred precinct, and various private residences have been uncovered at Sentinum to date. Many associated artifacts are housed in the Palazzo dei Priori Civic Archaeological Museum in Sassoferrato.
Based on the promising results of a more recent magnetometry survey, SCARP is working to build on these important efforts by excavating additional areas of the ancient city, particularly residential and commercial structures within the city's insulae (city blocks) to better understand the history, expanse, and urban organization of Sentinum.