The Calabrian Code

By Anna Maria Prezio and Silvano Cristofaro

The Calabrian Code expresses to the world the importance of events that occurred in a small village in Calabria, Italy, 2000 years ago. The ancient village of Vergae, now Roggiano, Gravina, was allegedly the place where the nails used for crucifixions first originated. This stor

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roggiano Publishing
• Release date: Oct 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088021705

Book preview

Introduction

Few may know of the importance of a small 2000-year-old village in Calabria, Vergae, now Roggiano Gravina, where citizens took part in the crucifixion of Jesus.

This story covers the three wars against the great Roman Empire, the Roman villa built by the Romans and Pilate (the only Roman construction in Calabria), the Bruzi, defined as Christ’s flagellators, the fable of the blacksmith and the little Nemesius, who Nero would crucify with the same nails that pierced Jesus’ body.

I am proud to co-write this book with Dr. Anna Maria Prezio, but I must clarify that I wish this introduction could have been written by Francesco Guzzolino, a very dear friend, who inspired me to record this story. Francesco died on May 9, 2016.

I dedicate this to both Dr. Anna Maria Prezio and to Francesco, in whom I confided the story that I learned from Professor Benito Barbieri.

These three amazing mentors in my life were the guiding spirit of the book.

Silvano Cristofaro

Chapter 1

Vergae

In the summer of 2006, I left Rome and returned to live in Roggiano Gravina.

I like to laze under the big oak tree of the country house in mid-August at nightfall after spending the day at the beach. In the village, it is impossible to breathe because of the heat and, while cooling off with the breezy countryside air, I enjoy the sunset with the sun disappearing behind Pettoruto mountains.

The peace and the view of the panorama, unique to the area, deeply satisfies me. Mountains rise majestically with a particular charm, even during the winter that shrouds them in snow. The lights of the villages that reflect on the surface of the lake formed from the Esaro River make the landscape even more fascinating.

On the opposite bank of the river, the Roman villa, whose walls have stood throughout the centuries, is part of the village called Vergae, which means fortified village. Vergae existed even before the founding of Rome as a stronghold against the Greek dominion and then became a Roman possession.

The Romans’ dominion was very harsh. So, the village first allied itself with Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, later with Hannibal and finally with Spartacus, the gladiator, only to be punished by the harsh retaliation of Rome.

Afterward, the village underwent other domination first by the Goths, then the Lombards and then by the Saracens, who destroyed it. This villa’s history had always fascinated me, and something happened on the evening of August 15th, 2006, an event that would take me back 2000 years into its history.

Chapter 2

Meeting the Professor

As our house is next to the provincial road, you can see passers-by. The gate was open, and I recognized the person who was passing. I invited him to come in.

I had not seen Professor Benito Barbieri for many years, and after the usual pleasantries, I asked him about a phrase he often repeated: We provided the nails for the cross!

Silvano: Professor, excuse me, is the story of the nails true or fictional? It’s hard to believe that one villager at that time was in Palestine making nails that were used to crucify people! I am sure that you know more than anyone, so I would be most grateful if you would tell me this story so I can remove the doubts that have haunted me for so many years.

Professor: It is a true story and also difficult to tell, but now I can finally do it, the professor answers.

Silvano: Professor, I’m all ears, and I hang on every word.

The professor turned his gaze towards the Roman villa, and, after a slow reflection, he came back to me, and so the story began.

Towards the middle of the first century BC, almost all the territories overlooking the Mediterranean were Roman property. The long arm of the central government reached everywhere. They sent some magistrates with the title of proconsuls or owners to the provinces which were part of the many extra-Italic territories conquered and where they exercised full administrative, juridical and military powers.

After the Romans destroyed Carthage, annihilated the last Greek settlements, and occupied all the coastlines, and subdued the Celts, Germans, Slavs, Jews, Arabs, and Africans, they were the masters of the Mediterranean, which they had proudly renamed MARE NOSTRUM—our sea.

The provincials of Rome experienced harsh living conditions, harassment by tax collectors of money and other possessions, often established by the governors’ whims. They enjoyed neither citizenship nor Roman rights. In practice, they could not defend themselves from the conquerors.

So, Rome managed over the centuries to maintain this vast empire, imposing its political creed but respecting the customs and traditions of each individual community. Its motto was DIVIDE ET IMPERA, divide and conquer, on which its entire colonial policy was based. The leaders, therefore, treated the subjugated people differently, thus preventing their unification of interests and treatment. Always careful to maintain the balance between the various nations, Rome was ready to intervene with its army wherever small local interests risked the entire colonial apparatus.

In 27 BC, the Senate conferred on Octavian the title of Augustus, so that he could govern with the favour of gods for the country’s good. Octavian had thus become the sole and absolute ruler of Rome, acclaimed as the man who had put an end to civil wars and who had finally restored peace.

The people were so happy with the event that no one gave any weight to the loss of republican freedom. On the other hand, the new emperor was skilled and prudent in imposing the new state order so that the transition of the republic to the empire took place smoothly.

First, once in power, he reorganized 25 imperial provinces under the direct power of the emperor.

However, despite everything, Augustus’ reign, nicknamed the Golden Age because great poets, architects, sculptors favoured by the politics of the new Caesar and his patron minister, flourished under his patronage but, above all, the man destined to subvert all the rules of the world was born in the East in a miserable hut. His name was JESUS CHRIST.

This event, which remained unnoticed during the empire of Augustus, later exploded with enormous ambition under his descendants.

THE NAILS OF THE CROSS

It is said that there is always something true in legends and precisely for this reason, the writer is keen to share the story of a local farrier and the nails of the cross that pierced the limbs of the Lord. The Calabrians of the first millennium that the Romans called Italici, from ancient geographical maps were sure that Pontius Pilate was a native of Cassano Ionio, about twenty kilometres from Roggiano Gravina, and that he built the Roman villa on the Esaro river and inhabited it.

After the three wars lost by the Bruzi, Augustus sent Pontius Pilate, who lived at the villa and commanded and directed the entire region on behalf of the Romans as well as the Roman legions in Palestine. He brought a colony of Calabrians called Bruzi with him, including servants, soldiers, masons, carpenters, farriers and others for his own needs. He tried to surround himself with trustworthy people, but did not trust, and rightly so, the Palestinians.

At that time, the death penalty was in force in Palestine and they crucified those condemned. Within a year, there were many condemned. The office of Pontius Pilate, in addition to making firearms, swords and other weapons to be used in battles, manufactured the nails that were used for crucifixions. The head of the farriers moved his own family, his metalworkers, and their families to Palestine.

Silvano: Dear professor, let’s talk a little about the Esaro Valley and the ancient Vergae, since you certainly know much more than me.

The professor raised his eyes to the sky and then, turning his gaze towards the valley, continued his story, without looking at me.

Professor: The sun with its brilliance and nature in its full awakening, man became absorbed in the most intense work. Everything speaks to us of greatness, of life, of strength.

Our souls cannot remain numb in the face of so much light and beauty, and we must raise to heaven a hymn of gratitude, recognition and love to God the Father, who created so much beauty.

The Esaro Valley, where the ancient Vergae (from the Latin vergianum) stood, founded by the Ausoni, passed to the Enotri in 204 BC. The consul Sempronio Tauditano took the valley, as he, during the Punic wars, successfully negotiated with Hannibal and later returned to the Roman sphere. In 400 A.C. it became infested with ants and rendered uninhabitable. Then, they rebuilt the village on the opposite side of the river and, in place of Vergae, was given the name of Rogianum, later corrected to Roggiano.

Silvano: Professor, tell me the story of the Roman villa built 500