in ancient Italy, a Sabine town 5 miles (8 km) north of present L'Aquila in the Aterno (ancient Aternus) River valley. It was stormed by the Romans in 293 BC, but the fertility of its fields helped it to regain its prosperity as a Roman municipality (municipium), especially under the empire (after 27 BC). The Roman historian Sallust was born there in 86 BC. Amiternum was located at the junction of four roads—the Via Caecilia, the Via Claudia Nova, and two branches of the Via Salaria. Archaeological remains include an aqueduct, an amphitheatre, and a theatre, all of the imperial period, and several Christian catacombs.