The Libarna Urban Landscapes Project: Exploring a Roman colonial city in the heart of Cisalpine Gaul

In recent decades Roman archaeology has really focused on investigating the impact of Roman colonialism in a nuanced way that considers the influence of local conditions and cultural elements.  One area of the Empire that remains understudied and less well understood is, in fact, an area very near the center of that empire: Liguria, a region in Cisalpine Gaul (Northern Italy).  Having been settled by groups of people collectively known as the Ligures, who shared cultural similarities with the Gauls, it was culturally and linguistically distinct from peninsular Italy.  Cisalpine Gaul was brought under Roman control through warfare during the late 3rd/early 2nd cent. BCE. Libarna, a Roman city (founded in 148 BCE), therefore represents an early colonial foundation outside of Italic areas of the early empire. It was among the most important settlements in the region and was strategically located along a major trade route across the north of Italy…