ABSTRACT
As a bridgehead of Roman expansionism along the Adriatic coast between the end of 4th and the beginning of third century bce, the Roman colony of Sena Gallica (290–283 bce) has been commercial in vocation since its origins, inheriting its character as an emporium from the previous pre-Roman settlement. The arrival of mercatores from Lazio and Campania, perhaps aggregated into a conciliabulum, marks the starting point of a new socio-economic system. By the time of the foundation of the colony, at the beginning of third century bce, the technological impact of the arrival of Rome becomes clearer still, in several respects, starting from the urban planning of the city, through the creation of urban walls and the definition of the road system. The introduction of several specialists with specific technological skills alongside the creation of production facilities led to a different lifestyle linked to the development of a new society. Extensive land reclamation in depressed areas, Etruscan-Italic living customs, local ceramic production pursuing pure Roman tradition models, the cultivation of specialized crops such as vines and olive trees are just a few of these effects. Sena Gallica exploited its coastal location by becoming part of the commercial networks in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. It defined the limits of its territory through various strongholds and took possession of it within the framework of agricultural divisions. Rustic villas and furnaces for brick production gradually became pivotal to this new economy.
