Among the various ancient Italic peoples of central Italy before the Roman conquest, the Sabines appear to have played a central role. Historical sources report that they were the ancestors of several Italic peoples and recount episodes of their mythical expansion from the mountainous heart of the Apennines to the flatter areas of the Tiber. This particular territorial division, which led them to settle in a belt from the Tiber valley to the peaks of the Apennines, is also an element of great archaeological interest. It allows us to assess the different settlement strategies and social and cultural development paths of communities that shared many common characteristics and were considered, at least from an external perspective, culturally bounded.

This talk will focus specifically on the characteristics of the innermost 'face' of these communities between the Early Iron Age and the Roman conquest (290 BC), using as a case study the area which, according to the ancient sources, constituted the northern frontier of the Sabine world. An area between the modern regions of Latium, Umbria and Marche, which in the later Roman period largely overlapped with the municipium of Nursia (Norcia). The ongoing research in this area and its preliminary but promising results are then presented. Thanks to them, it is now possible to gain new insights into the life of this mountain community.