The Erased City - The History of Picentia, the War of Hannibal, and Rome’s Revenge #925154

The volume reconstructs the historical events of the city of Picentia, from its foundation to its annihilation by Rome in the aftermath of the Second Punic War. Located between Salerno and Pontecagnano, Picentia represents a paradigmatic case of damnatio memoriae: a city erased for having sided with Hannibal, whose inhabitants were dispersed and whose identity was removed from tradition. Through the cross‑analysis of literary, archaeological and epigraphic sources, the book restores a voice to a community erased from history, while at the same time investigating the political and symbolic strategies employed by the Roman Republic to consolidate its dominion. It offers a reflection on the force of deterrence, the power of memory and the ways in which it is manipulated in the construction of the past.