Chap. 18.] ACCOTOT Or COUKTEIES, ETC. 
285 
queum^ is indebted for its name. In tlie territory of Eeate 
is the Lake of Cutilise^, in which there is a floating island, 
and which, according to M. Yarro, is the navel or central 
point of Italy. Below the Sabine territory lies that of La- 
tium, on one side Picenum, and behind it Umbria, while 
the range of the Apennines flanks it on either side. 
CHAP. 18. (13.) THE EIETH EEGION OF ITALY. 
The fifth region is that of Picenum, once remarkable for 
the denseness of its population ; 360,000 Picentines took the 
oaths of fidelity to the Eoman people. They are descended 
from the Sabines, who had made a vow to celebrate a holy 
spring^. Their territory commenced at the river Aternus^, 
where the present district and colony of Adria^ is, at a distance 
of six miles from the sea. Here we find the river Yomanus, 
the territories of Prsetutia and Palma^, Castrum Novum'', 
^ A town of the ^qui, now known as Subiaco. In its vicinity was 
the celebrated villa of Claudius and Nero, called the Yilla Sublacencis. 
2 This was a town of the Sabines between Keate and Interocrea, in the 
vicinity of a small lake of the same name. It was a mere pool, accord- 
ing to Dionysius, being but 400 feet in diameter. It is supposed that the 
floating island was formed from the incrustations of carbonate of lime on 
the banks, which, becoming detached, probably collected in the middle. 
The lake still exists, but the floating island has disappeared. There are 
some fine ruins of Roman baths in the vicinity of the lake. 
3 It was a custom with the early Italian nations, especially the Sabines, 
in times of danger and distress, to vow to the deity the sacrifice of all the 
produce of the ensuing spring, that is, of the period from the first day of 
March till the last day of April. It is probable that in early times hu- 
man sacrifices were the consequence ; but at a later period the following 
custom was adopted instead. The children were allowed to grow up, and 
in the spring of their twentieth or twenty-first year were with covered 
j faces driven across the frontier of their native country, to go whitherso- 
I ever chance or the guidance of the deity might lead them. The Mamer- 
tini in Sicily were said to have had this origin. 
* Now the Aterno, which falls into the sea at Atri or Ortona. 
^ A famous city of Etruscan origin, which still retains its name of 
Adria or Atri. It had very considerable intercourse with Grreece, and 
there are extensive remains of antiquity in its vicinity, towards Ravegnano. 
The river is still called the Yomano. 
^ These places are again mentioned in B. xiv. c. 8. 
7 Or "New Castle." It probably occupied the site of the now de- 
serted town of Santo Flaviano, near the banks of the river Tordino, the 
Batinus of Phny, and below the modern town of Griulia Nova. 
