Pietrabbondante is known as the main spiritual and political center of the Pentri Samnites, preserving their monumental temples and theater. The megalithic structure tells of an earlier and less explored phase.
Polygonal masonry on Mount Saraceno
Exploring the site, one finds huge limestone blocks, precisely shaped and laid without mortar. This is the typical polygonal masonry, common in many pre-Roman Italic centers, built to withstand time and the slopes of the mountain.
These walls are not Roman. They belong to an older construction tradition, also found in Alatri, Arpino, Segni, and Alba Fucens. At Pietrabbondante, the megalithic blocks form the foundations of the sanctuary.
When the so called Temple A was built between 200 and 150 BCE, the foundations had already been there for some time. The Samnites did not demolish what came before—they built on top of it.