Interamna Lirenas was a thriving town well into the 3 rd century AD. Interamna Lirenas has turned out to be far more than a “backwater town” of the Roman Empire. “There was nothing on the surface, no visible evidence of buildings, just bits of broken pottery,” Launaro said. “We think many other average Roman towns in Italy were just as resilient. “Based on the relative lack of imported pottery,” Launaro said, “archeologists have assumed that Interamna Lirenas was a declining backwater.