Crustumerium, according to ancient authors, was a city overlooking the Tiber between Eretum and Fidenae; thanks to these precise testimonies, to which must be added the indication of the exact distance from Rome along the Salaria road, it has been easy to identify the historic site, marked by a vast area of surface archaeological materials.
The city, Latin according to most ancient authors, seems to have been founded between the 10th and 9th centuries BC and from the beginning its history is linked to the events of the birth and development of Rome; among other things, it is one of the main centers of the famous historical-legendary episode of the Rape of the Sabine Women. It reaches the peak of its flourishing in the 7th and 6th centuries BC; its decline is marked, at the end of the 5th century, by the unstoppable expansion of Rome.
After the Florence-Rome highway tollbooth, at the end of the long final straight, the hills of Crustumerium accompany for a few kilometers the path of those reaching the capital. The ancient city of Crustumerium is therefore the first of the archaeological complexes encountered coming from the most important route connecting with Europe, almost an official presentation of Rome.
And it is a worthy presentation: Crustumerium, in fact, is the only center of the ancient Latin civilization not compromised by modern urbanization and throughout the area the landscape is extraordinarily preserved.
Currently, the area of the ancient city is known only in broad outlines, thanks to surface surveys and sporadic excavations by the Archaeological Superintendent of Rome (since 1982), which have however allowed the discovery of about two hundred graves and the recovery of significant tomb furnishings composed of ceramics and bronzes (about 120 pieces were recovered in tomb 9 alone, excavated in 1987 in loc. Monte Del Bufalo).
In past decades, illegal excavators managed to plunder thousands of graves (numerous valuable objects have recently appeared in foreign antiquarian markets), causing significant damage to the scientific heritage and partly compromising future research.
The entire area of the settlement, surrounding necropolises, and part of the territory of the ancient center, covering about 440 hectares, is protected under laws 1089/39 and 1497/39. A sector of 58 hectares including part of the funeral areas of Monte Del Bufalo and Cisterna Grande was acquired by the Public Administration in 1998.
