HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CITY OF FERRARA

The town of Ferrara does not have a Roman origin: its formation dates back to the VII century when the Byzantine administration decided to build a fortification for the control of the river.
 

Nevertheless, the surrounding territory was intensively occupied by the Romans. The permanent possession of lands and the definitive settlement by the Romans was realized through a vast process of water regularization, lands reclamation, deforestation and tillage aimed at turning soils into farm-lands, together with an efficient system of villae scattered all over the country.

Ancient literary sources are not exhaustive about the events concerning the area of the Po delta, while itinerary sources contain more information. It is the case of the Tabula Peutingeriana in which we find the representation of a  cursus publicus ab Hostilia per Padum connecting Ravenna with the inner Cisalpina. Some strips of this directrix, represented by a basolato road formed by large trachyte stones from Mounts Euganei, have been unearthed in 1911 in the town-centre, under the present via Garibaldi, while a road-cippus containing a dedication to the emperors Valens and Gratian (375 A.D), comes from old St. Anne hospital.

The Antoninus’ itinerary itself reports the existence of another way passing through the Ferrara district, the so-called Aemilia Altinate or Aemilia Minor, traced in 175 B.C. to connect Bononia  to Aquileia. It crossed the Po river in Vicus Varianus, in the territory of Vigarano Mainarda. The village probably constituted the main halting-place between  Bononia and Ateste, serving at the same time as itinerary station for the way leading to Padum.

The crossing of these two roads caused the concentration of economical interests and the development of settlements, as proved by several findings, mainly of an epigraphic character (votive cippi, sepulchral cippi, funerary and memorial steles). They allow the reconstruction of a reliable outline of the human occupation in the area, which appears characterised by a composite aspect, as a consequence of the presence of both italics and “romanised” people coming from the provinces who had later merged with local elements. The epigraphic record mainly concentrates on the main branches of the Delta, the Volano, the Rero and the Primaro, thus reflecting the local settlement pattern characterised by the presence of villas, farms and hamlets with their respective necropolis located on the main river and road routes. Some other marble elements (which probably reached Ferrara from the surrounding districts during the post-Roman period) were later re-used for the construction of some large religious buildings such as St. George’s Cathedral.

During the Imperial age, the delta area receives a new impulse thanks to Augustus’ strategic decision to establish the base of the Eastern fleet in Ravenna, thus transforming the Delta from a marginal area into a strategic zone and giving an impetus to the development of the settlement network. Information concerning the occupation of the territory comes from the inhabited places and the necropolis located in Settepolesini (site of Pontisette), Casaglia (site of Ca' Visdomini Vecchia and Nuova and Prati Bassi) as well as Cassana, in the ex-parish prebend, where a building complex of large dimensions was partially explored, first in 1975, then in 1976 and 1977.

The complex was characterised by precarious conditions of preservation, with crumbling structures and several lacunae: only foundation layers had survived up to a very reduced height, probably as a consequence of episodes of spoliation of building materials during the Middle Ages. Data are not enough in order to define with certitude a dating for this complex, probably to be referred to the first Imperial age, while the building typology corresponds to the so-called urban-rustic villa, combining the features of the city domus with those of the country villa.

The site of Gambulaga is one of the most important among recent discoveries enriching the settlement panorama of the Ferrara area. It is known since several years for the discovery of Roman remains and a group of funerary stelae (II cent. A.D.). Recently in the farm of Santa Caterina, to the north-east of the Verginese, a small predial necropolis was uncovered, composed of four funerary stelae (Julio-Claudian and Flavian age) with the portraits, the names and the personal events of some members of the Fadieni family.

a cura dell' IBC Emilia Romgna