The Dark Ages
The plant of domus
with mosaics recovered to the end of the century in Corso Umberto
Compared with the abundance of information for the ancient period, there is a shortage of information for the centuries of transition when the relationship between the city and the countryside underwent an intense transformation. This process, involving the entire national territory, was marked by a trend towards rural life and a consequent lessening of city vitality. On the other hand, the remains of Roman houses dating from the 2nd – 5th centuries, adorned with mosaic pavements, demonstrate the presence of wealthy classes: the Domus was an extensive and complex project.
Evidence of the introduction of Christianity into the city and the foundation of the Church are represented by oil lamps from the 3rd century, on which the first Christian symbols appear, and also by reference in an ode by Paolino di Nola dated 397