The name comes from the Latin Aquinum, probably from aqua, meaning "water" as witnessed by the abundance of water that still crosses the territory today, including many small springs.
The town was founded by the Volsci, who successfully defended it against Samnite invasions.Шаблон:Cn
After the Roman conquest in the 4th century BC, Aquinum became an important commercial and production centre situated on the ancient Via Latina. In 211 BC it was given the title of urbs, previously the prerogative of Rome alone. In 125 BC the nearby town of Fregellae was destroyed and Aquinum grew to become the most important nucleus between Rome and Capua.
One of the gates through which the Via Latina passed, now called Porta San Lorenzo, is still well preserved, and there are remains within the walls (portions of which, built of large blocks of limestone, still remain) of two (so called) temples, a basilica and an amphitheatre.[1]
Outside, on the south is a well-preserved 1st century BC triumphal arch with composite capitals, known as Arco di Marcantonio, and close to it the basilica of Santa Maria Libera, a 9th-century building in the Romanesque style erected over the remains of an ancient temple of Hercules Liberator, now roofless. Several Roman inscriptions are built into it, and many others that have been found indicate the ancient importance of the place, which, though it does not appear in early history, is vouched for by Cicero and Strabo.[1][3]