In July 2007 and 2008 excavations were undertaken in the locality of La Civita, within the urban area of _Fabrateria Nova_. This was a collaboration between the Archaeological Superintendency of Lazio, the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut - Abteilung Rom (German Archaeological Institute), the University of Cassino, Lecce University and the municipality of San Giovanni Incarico. The town was founded in 124 B.C., following the destruction of _Fregellae_ in 125. The settlement was built on a large fluvial terrace beside the river Liri, just down the valley from the confluence of the river Sacco with the Liri, which here forms a meander delimiting the town walls on two sides. The known foundation date and the lack of significant overlying medieval or modern structures over most of the area make this a site with substantial scientific potential. No large-scale investigations have been undertaken on the town which was only certainly identified in relatively recent times. The only investigations have been a survey carried out by the Superintendency leading to the identification and excavation of the amphitheatre and further excavations undertaken by Perugia University (unpublished). The archaeological investigation involving several sectors of the ancient town were preceded by surface and geophysical surveys which led to the production of an archaeological map of the town and the proposed reconstruction of the urban plan. The excavations partially uncovered a sanctuary and cryptoporticus of Republican date, a porticoed square with an Augustan tempietto, a bath building, large stretches of a basalt paved road at the centre of the town and a probable sacred building on the western edge of the town.

This season’s archaeological research continued that begun in 2006 by the University of the Salento’s Laboratory of Ancient Topography and Photogrammetry-LAB TAF, as part of the convention stipulated between the Regional Offices for the Cultural and Landscape Heritage of Lazio, the Archaeological Superintendency of Lazio, The German Archaeological Institute Rome, University of Cassino, University of the Salento and the town of San Giovanni Incarico (FR). A 10 x 10m trench was excavated, exposing the south side of the building built of stone blocks, already partially identified in 2009, and a stretch of basalt road surface. The excavation was only deepened in the southern part of the trench, removing layers of collapse and exposing the road, which was c. 50 cm lower than the floor of the building. Inside the building, and outside to the west and east, cleaning of the layers exposed below the humus, revealed a patch of _opus_ _signinum_ floor (US 163) inside the building, along the east wall (USM 148). A row of small limestone blocks was uncovered along the northern edge of the trench suggesting the building was divided into at least two rooms. This building, on an alignment that was coherent with the urban layout of the ancient city, that is 13° west, was built on an area with a slight but constant slope to the south; therefore, the wall of stone blocks is best preserved on the south side (USM 147), where the first course is visible for its entire length. The south front is 6.02 m long (6.70 m if the “buttress” at the south-west corner is included), while the west and east sides are visible for c. 5.80 m and continue beyond the excavation edge. The south side has an entrance, slightly off-centre, characterised by a limestone threshold, probably reused. The excavation was deepened between the south side of the building and the basalt road, removing several layers of collapse (US 153, 155, 157), which reached as far as the kerb of the road. A preliminary analysis of the pottery dates the materials from the collapse to between the 1st century B.C. and the imperial period. Coins dating to the 5th- 6th centuries were found in the abandonment layers of the road, attesting use of the area in this period.

The excavations uncovered the block-built Building A, identified in 2015, and clarified the relationship between the structure and the urban _via_ _glareata_ running north-south (documented using photo-interpretation), and explored the area east of this road, where the traces on the aerial photo suggested the presence of another large structure. The 2015 trench was reopened and extended to the north, re-exposing the southern front of Building A and the stretch of basalt road on an east-west alignment; a 4 x 7 m trench was opened to the east. The extension of the trench identified: the northwards continuation of the east wall (USM 148), the partition wall USM 178 (that had collapsed to the south) on an east-west alignment that divided the building into two rooms and abutted the east wall USM 148, the block-built western kerb (USM 174) of the _via_ _glareata_ running to the east of Building A. The removal of the humus revealed a layer, which covered both Building A to the north of partition wall USM 178, and the structure’s eastern wall. The substantial depth of layer US 175 in the western part of the trench made it impossible to identify the northern continuation of the west wall (USM 149), only visible for about 5 m. The east side (USM 148 of which the _caementicium_ foundation, c. 0.60 m wide, evenly razed) was identified to a length of 12.50 m. However, the trace on the aerial photograph and the collapsed elements in trench 2 of 2015, made it possible to suggest that Building A was c. 14 m long. Building A, orientated c. 13° west, on the same alignment as the ancient city's urban plan, was constructed on a area sloping slightly to the south; therefore, the block-built wall was better-preserved on the south side (USM 147), 6.20 m long with a 1.55 m opening and a limestone threshold. It may be suggested that there was a continuous cement foundation, created in steps to allow the positioning of the block on a horizontal surface. The opening of the trench to the east, in correspondence with the stretch of kerb US 174, revealed the north-south _via_ _glareata_ and two walls in ¬_caementicium_ and blocks (USM 185 and 186) relating to a second structure (Building B), on the same alignment as the urban layout. The road was 3.90 m wide, the east kerb 0.90 m wide and the west kerb 1.10m. In this stretch, the total width of the road including the sidewalks was 5.90 m. The eastern sidewalk was 10 cm higher than the western one, thus determining a slight slope to the west of the road surface. Several patches of the road surface were found; a deepening of the excavation along the east sidewalk, where the paving was not preserved, revealed the presence of the make up of pressed clayey sand (US 195).

The excavations undertaken in the central sector of the town, in correspondence with a crossroads identified on an aerial photograph, exposed the southern part of so-called Building B, already partially identified in 2016. The building is situated in the north-eastern corner of the crossroads between the E-W basalt road (already identified south of the baths and in the forum) and the N-S _via_ _glareata_ visible in the aerial photograph and uncovered in 2016. Building B mirrors the position of Building A (excavated 2015-2016); both face onto the E-W basalt road, their facades aligned. A section of kerb relating to the N-S _via_ _glareata_ was uncovered to the west of Building B. To the east, below a layer of painted plaster fragments were the remains of a room (USM 247, 260) of Imperial date with a semicircular wall (USM 254). This context was cut by later activities, probably relating to several burials. Building B, orientated 14° west consistent with the urban layout, is c. 6 m wide and visible for a maximum of 8.60 m. The west perimeter wall (USM 185) was built in _opus_ _incertum_, with large stone chippings (width 0.45 m; max, visible length 6.10 m). The east wall (USM 272; width 0.45 m), preserved at foundation level only for a short stretch (1.48 m) in correspondence with room 3, was built of cement and limestone and travertine fragments. A number of large ditches (UUSS -221, -223, -278), perhaps interpretable as modern drainage, created in correspondence with the south facade of Building B, had compromised the preservation of the facade wall (USM 275), of the south-west and south-east corners of the building and part of the occupation surfaces. Inside the building, in the south-east corner, a patch of _opus_ _signinum_ floor was preserved (US 211) in association with a small tile-built channel (US 270), cut by ditches to the west and east (UUSS -223, -278). The channel sloped steeply down to the east suggesting the presence of water inside room 3. However, none of the evidence suggested the function of Building B, or more specifically, room 3. Originally, this part of Building B must have been formed by one large room delimited to the north by the cement wall USM 186 (0.43 m wide). Later, the construction of a wall (USM 202) on an east-west alignment divided the room in two: to the south room 3; to the north, rooms 1 and 2 were created between walls 202 and 186, served by a corridor to the east and defined by walls 204 and 246 (on a north-south alignment). The preliminary analysis of the pottery dates the building to between the 1st century B.C. and the Imperial period; a 5th-6th century coin found in the abandonment layers attests occupation in this period.

This season, excavation took place in the central sector of the town, at a crossroads identified in an aerial photograph. New data was collected regarding Building B, already partially investigated in 2017, and the northerly continuation of the eastern kerb of the N-S _via_ _glareata_ was uncovered (for about 5 m). The trench was extended towards the north and it was seen that the building extended N-S for at least 20 m, as the west perimeter wall US 185 was identified to a length of 19.40 m and continued beyond the northern trench edge. The northern sector of the building presented one large room, of which patches of a cobblestone floor (US 286) and one patch of an _opus_ _signinum_ floor (US 324) were preserved. A small E-W trench was opened perpendicular to US 185, which revealed a series of cobblestone dumps (US 291, 300, 302, 307, 308, 311) that could be a floor make-up. In correspondence with the only opening situated on the north side of Room 1 there was a rectangular pit (US -317) on the same alignment as the building. A lead pipe was found in the layer of humus that could be associated with the pit. Further excavation between Room 2 and the imperial structures to the east showed that the east wall (US 272) of the building was present in correspondence with the E-W wall US 202, and seemed to be contemporary with it (the structures are only preserved at foundation level or first course). Therefore, it cannot be excluded that the northern part of the building was divided at the time of its construction. A level of cobblestones (US 323) was identified, very probably of natural origin, on which wall 272 stands. Excavation also took place in correspondence with the building’s SW and SE corners, heavily compromised by the later pits (US -221, -223 and -278) along its front. The removal of the layers of fill from pit US -278 (US 258, 283, 294, 296, 314), in the SE corner revealed the southern perimeter wall US 272 built of tufa blocks directly on a compact layer of cobblestones and clayey soil, probably natural. The continuation of the small channel (US 270), built of tile fragments and mortar and lined with _opus_ _signinum_, present along the southern edge of the _opus_ _signinum_ floor (US 211) was identified. The channel continued towards the east as far as wall 272 and then turned a right angle to continue southwards. In the building’s SW corner, the cleaning of the bottom of the large pit US -221 revealed several tufa blocks still _in_ _situ_ that were part of the western perimeter wall (US 185). The pottery finds seem to confirm the suggested dating for the building of between the 1st century B.C. and the imperial period, with occupation continuing between the 5th and 6th centuries.

Le indagini (1 luglio-2 agosto 2019) condotte nel settore centrale della città, hanno consentito di mettere in luce la strada basolata con andamento E-O (identificata come tratto urbano della via Latina) e il punto di incrocio con la strada glareata N-S (restituiti mediante fotointerpretazione e già parzialmente indagati nel 2015 e nel 2016). È stato riaperto il settore meridionale del saggio 2018, evidenziando di nuovo la fronte meridionale (USM 275) dell'Edificio B e l'area immediatamente a sud, dove spicca il grande lastrone di calcare bianco posizionato di taglio; con successivi ampliamenti è stata individuata la carreggiata della strada basolata E-O ed è stato evidenziato l'incrocio con la strada glareata N-S. Le carreggiate stradali presentano una larghezza di m 3,90. La strada basolata, pavimentata in basoli di calcare, è caratterizzata dalla presenza di un'unica canaletta di scolo dell'acqua piovana lungo il lato settentrionale; sia la canaletta che le crepidini nord e sud sono realizzate in blocchi di travertino locale. Le attuali indagini hanno confermato la prosecuzione, oltre l'incrocio in direzione sud, della strada glareata N-S; inoltre, è stato appurato che l'ultimo tratto di tale asse viario glareato, prima dell'incrocio, era pavimentato con basoli di calcare. Asportato un lacerto di US 339 a Sud del lastrone di calcare bianco posizionato di taglio (dimensioni m 1,65x1x0,335) per evidenziare la canaletta e il suo riempimento (US 344), si nota che i blocchi della crepidine settentrionale (US 330) sono stati in parte asportati proprio in corrispondenza del lastrone, che doveva costituire l'ultimo tratto della pavimentazione del marciapiede settentrionale prima dell'incrocio; sulla faccia vista meridionale, lisciata, è evidente l'incasso per l'alloggiamento di una grappa, mentre la faccia vista settentrionale, originariamente a contatto con il terreno, è sbozzata. La posizione anomala è probabilmente dovuta ad un tentativo di asportazione non andato a buon fine, da collocare dal punto di vista cronologico in un momento successivo all'abbandono della strada e degli Edifici A e B. All'angolo NE dell'incrocio si conserva una lastra di travertino posizionata a coprire la canaletta di scolo, per agevolare il passaggio dei pedoni. Lungo il lato meridionale della strada, la crepidine in blocchi di travertino poggia direttamente sui basoli. Nell'angolo SE dell'incrocio stradale è visibile un blocco in travertino a sezione sub-circolare (diametro circa m 0,49) da interpretare come paracarro. In corrispondenza dell'incrocio, al centro della carreggiata stradale, si individua un basolo quasi quadrato (m 0,60x0,55), leggermente sollevato rispetto al circostante piano stradale, che costituisce la chiusura del tombino di ispezione della fogna che corre sotto la strada. La fogna, coperta alla cappuccina con lastre di pietra, ha una larghezza di circa m 0,70; è completamente riempita di terra fino al piano di imposta della cappuccina. Le pareti nord e sud del tombino sono realizzate in blocchi di pietra. Il materiale ceramico sembra confermare le osservazioni fatte sinora circa la continuità di frequentazione ancora nel V e VI secolo.

Excavations took place in the central sector of the ancient city, in correspondence with what appeared on an aerial photograph as an almost square trace, immediately south of the basalt road (at the height of the SW corner of the baths), where the geophysical survey carried out by the German Institute of Archaeology showed a circular anomaly. The north-western corner of the room seen as a trace on the aerial photo (room A) and parts of two more rooms (B and C) relating to a late Republican _domus_ on the same alignment as the urban layout, and the foundations of a circular hut of modern date were uncovered. In particular, the northern perimeter wall (USM 369) running east-west parallel to the basalt-paved road was exposed for a length of c. 7 m. The wall was built in _opus_ _caementicium_ and was preserved at foundation level (width 0.45 m). It presented an opening defined by door jambs made of local travertine blocks, which led into room B. The west wall of room A (USM 379) and the partition wall on an east-west alignment separating room B to the north from room C, to the south, were also identified. Room A was characterised by a terracotta floor with a decorative motif in white tesserae formed by meanders of swastikas alternating with squares each containing a rosette. The floor also had a central emblem of which only the north side was preserved. The southern part of the floor was badly damaged by a large hole filled with stones (US 362), probably a drainage pit relating to agricultural use, created after the hut was abandoned, given that it partially covered some of the postholes present around the hut’s perimeter. The presence of a continuous line of white tesserae along the eastern edge of the trench, which defined the decorated surface, indicates that this room must have been open on this side towards another room. Cement floors with a terracotta base and geometric decoration are rather common in the late Republican period. Parallels can be found in the phase 1 floor in Room D1 of the Roman villa in Baia castle (NA) and a floor in the “domus dei mosaici” at Claterna (Ozzano dell’Emilia-BO), both with a meander motif of swastikas and concentric squares and datable to the late 2nd or early 1st century B.C. The motif of swastika meanders alternating with squares containing rosettes is also comparable to the band of meanders with swastikas and squares in the floor of room B in the late Republican _domus_ (late 2nd century B.C.) in Piazza S. Maria Maggiore at Alatri (FR). The floor in room A was reused, probably during the 1800s, as a floor for the circular hut (diam. C. 9.50 m). The hut foundations (1.20 m wide) cut, and partially destroyed, the perimeter walls of room A, also damaging the floor.

Excavations took place in the central sector of the ancient city, in correspondence with a more or less square anomaly seen on an aerial photograph, situated immediately south of the basalt road (at the south-west corner of the bath building), where the geophysical survey carried out by the German Archaeological Institute picked up a circular anomaly. The excavations enlarged the 2021 trench with the aim of identifying the perimeter of Room A of the _domus_, characterised by a floor with a make-up of brick/tile fragments. Given the floor’s bad state of preservation on the south side, it was decided to extend the 2021 trench to the east. A 3 x 7 m trench was laid out (running east-west) and the layer of _humus_ (US 380) – c. 0.30/0.40 m deep – was removed below which lay: - The continuation towards the east of the north perimeter wall, built in _opus_ _caementicium_ (US 386), running east-west parallel to the basalt road situated at 2 m; - A white cement floor on a make-up of stones (US 390); - The continuation towards the east of the foundation of a modern hut (US -382; US 383), partially exposed in 2021, which cut the north perimeter wall US 386. In order to understand the link between Room D with the cement floor and make-up of stones (US 390) and Room A, identified in 2021, the excavation was extended towards the south (only in the western sector). The following were identified: - the _opus_ _caementicium_ wall (US 392), on a N-S alignment, which separated Room D from Room A, razed to floor level by the modern hut; - the cement floor with a make-up of brick/tile fragments in Room A, visible in the western section of the trench, which abutted wall US 392. Unfortunately, the foundation of the hut (US -382, 383) cut US 392 at the point in which it abutted (or was a continuation of) the north perimeter wall (US 386). The foundation also cut the west side of the cement floor US 390. To conclude, the excavation of this trench identified Room D, delimited to the west by US 392 and to the north by US 386. Room D, was cut by the foundation of a modern hut and continued to the south and east beyond the trench edge; it was at least 7 m wide and seemed to be longer on its east-west side. It presented a white cement floor, decorated with parallel rows of black inserts, over a make-up of stones (US 390) that was only preserved in the eastern sector. The floor was cut to the west by the foundation of hut US 382). There was a sort of depression in the floor surface running parallel with wall US 386, at a distance of 53 cm, and delimited by two rows of closely-placed black inserts.