STRABONE, NEAPOLIS E LA TOPOGRAFIA AGONISTICA DELLA CITTÀ

Abstract

The article explores the topic of gymnasia and ephebeia, mentioned by Strabo as one of the marks of the Greek way of life in Neapolis (Strab. V 4, 7). The study focuses on the archaeological and topographical data related to the agonistic district of Neapolis, with the aim of placing gymnasia in the urban landscape. Through the analysis of literary sources, antiquarian traditions, and epigraphic and archaeological documents, the relationship
between the agonistic quarter and the nearby port area is explored, especially from the time of Augustus, to whom we owe the foundation of the Italika Rhomaia Sebasta Isolympia, the five-year games mentioned by Strabo. A comprehensive description of the monuments and sculptural evidence of the agonistic district is provided, with special reference to the monumental complex of Piazza Nicola Amore, dedicated to the Isolympic games. Within this complex, a gymnasium has been brought to light, showing several phases from the Augustan-Tiberian age to the end of the third century AD. It should be noted that the area of Nicola Amore Square was already used for cultic functions from the fifth to the third century BC. In addition, a gymnasium, which served as a direct precursor to the Augustan - Tiberian era gymnasium, was built on this site in the second century BC. 

Key-Words : Italika Rhomaia Sebasta Isolympia, gymnasia, ephebeia, Neapolis