tribal confederation · Italy

Hernici

600 BCE – 306 BCE (approx.) · capital Anagnia

Italic people of the Sacco valley in southern Latium, long-time allies of Rome whose towns are known for their massive polygonal walls.

Origins

The Hernici lived in the hills of the middle Sacco valley, between the Latins, the Volsci and the Aequi. Their name was explained from a Marsic word for rocks. They were an Italic people, probably related to the Sabellians, organised by the 5th century BCE in a league of towns centred on Anagnia.

Rule and society

Their towns, Anagnia, Ferentinum, Aletrium and Verulae, met in league councils at the Maritime Circus near Anagnia. Aletrium's acropolis with its huge polygonal walls is among the best preserved in Italy. Wedged between the Volsci and Aequi, the Hernici made a treaty with Rome and the Latins, traditionally in 486 BCE, and fought alongside them for much of the 5th century.

Decline and legacy

Relations broke down in the 4th century. In 306 BCE Anagnia led a revolt and was punished with citizenship without the vote, while Ferentinum, Aletrium and Verulae, which stayed loyal, kept their independence as allies. All became Roman municipia after the Social War.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

More states of Italy →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hernici. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hernici
MLA
“Hernici.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hernici. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hernici.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hernici.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hernici’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hernici (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻