Chieti

Chieti (ˈkjɛːti, ˈkjeːti; Chiete, Chjïétë, Chjìtë; Theátē; Theate, Teate) is a city and comune (municipality) in Southern Italy, east of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti, in the Abruzzo region. In Italian, the adjectival form is teatino and inhabitants of Chieti are called "teatini". The English form of this name is preserved in that of the Theatines, a Catholic religious order. Chieti is among the most ancient of Italian cities. According to mythological legends, the city was founded by the fellows of Achilles and was named in honor of his mother, Thetis. Other traditions attribute the foundation to Greeks after the destruction of Troy, to Hercules or a queen of Pelasgians. According to Strabo, it was founded by the Arcadians as Thegeate (Θηγεάτη), named after Tegea. It was called Theate (Θεάτη) (or Teate in Latin). As Theate Marrucinorum, Chieti was the chief town of the warlike Marrucini. Discoveries of great importance to the prehistory of Abruzzo and traces of settlements dating back to 850,000 - 400,000 years ago were those of two hand axes and some Clactonian splinters at Madonna del Freddo's fluvial terraces, in the territory of Chieti. Instead, over Chieti's hill, the oldest archaeological finds of human settlements date back to 5,000 BC. After being inhabited by Osci, around the 10th century BC, the territory of present-day Chieti was occupied by Marrucini, an Italic tribe probably coming from Sabina. The latter defeated the former, but they preserved their laws, customs and language and became part of the warlike population called Samnites. The Marrucini lived in a small strip-shaped territory, including some mountainous zones of southern Apennines, and probably delimited by the Pescara River's mouth, the Adriatic Sea, the Foro, and the territories of Francavilla al Mare and Tollo. The Romans came into contact with this population, whose land was a vital connection with the Adriatic Sea during the First Samnite War (343 to 341 BC). Even if Marrucini did not participate in the Samnite League, they supported the Marsi during the Samnite Wars.