Matt Notarian (Hiram College) will introduce us to the Sentinum City Archaeological Research Project (SCARP), a recently launched collaboration based in Sassoferrato, Italy, involving Hiram College, the Kansas City Art Institute, and the Superintendency for the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro-Urbino. Its purpose is to examine Sentinum, an ancient Roman town renowned as the site of the “Battle of the Nations” in 295 BCE. At its height during the imperial era, Sentinum functioned as a municipium strategically positioned east of the Apennines, along routes connecting the Via Flaminia to the Adriatic coast. This talk introduces the project in its regional setting in central Marche and presents highlights from its first field season in 2025.
SCARP’s research looks beyond monumental architecture to investigate the city’s residential and working quarters, areas that have seen little systematic study. Of particular interest is how the archaeological record may relate to major historical events, such as the celebrated battle or Sentinum’s involvement in the Perusine War during Augustus’ rise to power. More broadly, the project aims to place Sentinum within current debates on Roman urbanism in central Adriatic Italy, a region attracting increasing scholarly attention.
Although the 2025 season was brief, its results are promising. Excavation focused on two areas of a likely intramural insula first identified by a 2022 magnetometry survey. Evidence points to a well-developed urban environment with public, commercial, and domestic spaces, some adorned with luxurious polychrome marble. The campaign also shed light on late antique reuse and spoliation at the site. While the precise functions of the explored areas and the extent of later activity remain to be clarified, the findings establish a strong foundation for addressing key research questions and planning future seasons of investigation.