Cosa

Coordinates: 42°24′39″N 11°17′11″E / 42.410919°N 11.286503°E / 42.410919; 11.286503

Cosa was a Latin colonia founded under Roman influence in southwestern Tuscany in 273 BC, on land confiscated from the Etruscans. The Etruscan site (called Cusi or Cosia) may have been where modern Orbetello stands; a fortification wall in polygonal masonry at Orbetello's lagoon may be in phase with the walls of Cosa. The position of Cosa is distinct, rising some 113 metres above sea level and is sited 140 km northwest of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast, on a hill near the small town of Ansedonia. The town experienced a hard life and was never truly a prosperous Roman city, although it has assumed a position of prominence in Roman archaeology owing to the circumstances of its excavation (cf. Dyson 2005, below). After the foundation, wars of the 3rd century BC affected the town. New colonists arrived in 197 BC. Cosa seems to have prospered until it was sacked in the 60s BC, perhaps by pirates - although an earthquake and unrest related to the Catilinarian Conspiracy have also been cited as reasons. This led to a re-foundation under Augustus and then life continued until the 3rd century. One of the last textual references to Cosa comes from the work of Rutilius Claudius Namatianus in his De reditu suo. In the passage 1.285-90, Rutilius remarks that by AD 416 the site of Cosa was deserted and could be seen to be in ruins. He further suggests that a plague of mice had driven the people of Cosa away.

Cosa (Roman colony)

Cosa was a Latin colony founded along the Tyrrhenian coast to solidify the control of the Romans and offer the Republic a protected port. the 3rd century BC marked a period of expansion for the Roman Republic. Cosa, located near modern-day Tuscany, came under Roman control in 273 BC after Rome took the territory from the Etruscans. The settlement transformed over time from a colony to a large maritime export center. According to Livy, following its foundation the colony was affected by the wars of the 3rd century BC and received an influx of new colonists in the early 2nd century BC, but was eventually abandoned by the 1st century BC. Various excavations on the site reveal that, after its sacking and abandonment, Cosa was reestablished under Augustus. The site was again abandoned by the 5th century AD, according to Rutilius Claudius Namatianus, but had seasonal occupation as late as the 18th and 19th centuries AD by farmers and herdsmen.

Housing

The site at Cosa has proved to be an extremely valuable source of evidence for colonial architecture during the Republican period, even though many of the houses at Cosa remain unexcavated. Although the large blocks of housing, such as the East and West Blocks excavated by Russell T. Scott, are sized and planned like the many houses of the Roman Republican period (i.e. the housing of Pompeii), the larger houses located near the forum give us insight as to the complex nature of housing in Cosa. Furthermore, the excavations of the houses show us how the colony developed over time.

COSA

COSA is an acronym and may refer to:

See also