An ancient city of
Latium,
Italy, analogous geographically with the modern city of
Palestrina, 23 miles east of
Rome. Praeneste was built on a spur of the
Apennines, and commanded respect due to its strong fortifications and the natural strength of the hill. There are various legends as to its origin, including a mention of
Ulysses, which is unsupported.
The earliest graves of Praeneste have produced fine objects of
metal and ivory, which prove that Praeneste had achieved a considerable degree of
civilization as early as the 7th century B.C. At this time the city was probably under the control of
Alba Longa, the chief city of the
Latin League. Praeneste’s first mention in history occurs in 499 B.C., when, according to
Livy, it withdrew from the Latin League and formed an alliance with
Rome. After Rome’s weakening by Gallic invasions, Praeneste switched sides again, and rejoined its former allies against Rome. This struggle, called the
Latin War, culminated in 338 B.C. with Praeneste being defeated by
Cincinnatus of Rome. Praeneste subsequently lost large portions of its territory. After that defeat it remained an ally of Rome, although not a close one.
Judging from the works of art of the period from 338 B.C. to 90 B.C., Praeneste seems to have been a prosperous town. The nuts, fruits and roses of Praeneste were famous, and amongst the finest in Italy. But, in 82 B.C, strife returned to Praeneste in the form of civil war. The Sullans, under
Sulla, blockaded
Marius in the town. Upon its capture, Marius slew himself, and the
Sullans went on to
massacre the entire male population. Praeneste was repopulated by the Sullans, and became a military colony. This did not last, however, probably owing to the obvious extravagance of the colony, and from its elevated situation. Eventually Praeneste became a favorite summer resort of the wealthy Romans, who were said to ridicule its inhabitants for their rough manners and their odd Latin dialect. As far as fashionable places,
Horace ranked Praeneste just below
Tibur and the
Alban Hills. Among the famous Romans who built villas in Praeneste were
Augustus,
Tiberius,
Hadrian,
Marcus Aurelius,
Pliny the younger and
Symmachus.
Praeneste was famed for the
oracles of the
Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, a great multi-terraced temple.
At some point Praeneste changed its name to Palestrina; certainly before 313 A.D., when the
Council of Rome records a
Secundus, Bishop of Palestrina, in attendance.