Ut stella preest lux. Epigrafia e architettura difensiva nell'ambiente precomunale di Ascoli Piaceno tra il sec. XI e il sec. XII

Abstract

In the Palazzo dell’Arengo in Ascoli Piceno, situated in the south of the Marche, there is a fragmentary epigraph from 1165 which was originally attached on the front of a tower house. This was known to local historians already in the 17th century, although it was investigated superficially, both as an expression of a specific urban reality, and as a reflection of wider political and cultural situations. There is a clear connection to Rome on an ideal level, but also on a level of immediate concreteness, due to the schism which was then underway. The epigraph also testifies to the emergence of aristocratic architecture which follows the building models promoted by the episcopate of Ascoli. In the absence of secular authorities, the bishops strengthened the defences of the city and created fortified residences