What is "aternum"

Aternum was a Roman town, on the site of Pescara, in Italy. Some historians refer to Aternum with the name of Ostia Aterni: in fact, the town was built at the mouth of the river Aternus. Aternum had an important role in Italian transport and it was connected to Rome through the Via Tiburtina, and its extension the Via Valeria. The city was an important port for trade with the Eastern provinces of the Empire; the seaport was supposedly also used for military purposes.

The main building was the temple of Jovis Aternium but there are traces of other temples too. Moreover, there are reports about the construction of a monumental bridge by the emperor Tiberius.