In ancient Rome, a crossroads or intersection where four roads meet; a place of communal gathering and religious significance.
From Latin com- (together) + petere (to go or seek), literally meaning 'where things come together.' The plural is compta or compita in Latin.
The compitum shows how geography shaped social organization in ancient Rome—crossroads were natural gathering places that generated community identity and religious practice. Modern suburbs and gated communities lack compita, which may explain why people nostalgically recreate them through neighborhood associations and community centers.
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