History and Archaeology of Greater Bovillae between the Ninth and Thirteen Roman Miles of the Appia Antica in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Monumental archaeological remains of Bovillae, a city once located on the southwestern side of the Via Appia at approximately its twelfth mile, are difficult to identify and locate from the third century CE onward. Owing to this general lack of archaeological information at the beginning of late antiquity, it can therefore be assumed that Bovillae had entered a period of definite decline by this age. This state of affairs contrasts dramatically with that of earlier centuries, notably during the High Empire, when plenty of urban activity can be documented not only through monumental archaeological remains but also through literary and documentary sources, only to see all such sources of information fall nearly silent afterward.