Tifernum Mataurense (Sant'Angelo in Vado - PU). Le terme romane

The complex is located in the area of Tifernum Mataurense, today the small Appenine centre of Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU) in the upper Metauro Valley, not far from the via Flaminia. The thermae, overlooking the cardo maximus near the forum and within the orthogonal town layout, were arguably built after the creation of the municipium following the Social War. There are several known building phases - construction, monumentalization, enlargement, restoration and refunctionalization - between the late Republic and the middle Empire. The plan seems to be articulated as a linear path. It includes a frigidarium followed by a tepidarium, a caldarium and related fornaces. To the south it is assumed that there was a palaestra with a colonnaded access and natatio. Despite the state of conservative state being highly compromised by many factors, anthropogenic and natural, which suffered over time, the historical and archaeological data collected by the University of Macerata in recent years allow us to place the monument among the most representative bath complexes of the late Republican period in the northern Marche.

Il lavoro affronta lo studio del complesso termale, che si erge nell’area archeologica di Tifernum Mataurense, corrispondente al piccolo centro appenninico di Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU) nell’alta valle del Metauro, a poca distanza dalla Flaminia. Diverse le fasi edilizie note - impianto, monumentalizzazione, ampliamento, restauro e rifunzionalizzazione - tra Tarda Repubblica e Medio Impero. La planimetria sembra articolarsi in un percorso lineare, che prevede un frigidario ed un apodyterium tra loro perpendicolari, seguiti da un tepidarium, un calidarium e relative fornaces. A Sud si presume la palaestra con accesso colonnato e natatio all’interno. Nonostante lo stato conservativo assai compromesso da molteplici fattori antropici e naturali susseguitesi nel tempo, i dati storico-archeologici raccolti negli ultimi anni dall’Università di Macerata consentono di ben inquadrare il monumento tifernate tra i complessi termali tardo-repubblicani e imperiali più rappresentativi e significativi dell’area Nord-marchigiana.