Insediamenti maggiori e insediamenti minori nella complessità dei paesaggi antichi: le vallate dei fiumi Tenna, Ete ed Aso (Piceno meridionale)

This paper deals with the ancient landscapes in the Tenna, Ete and Aso River Valleys in South Picenum, a district extending from the Adriatic Sea to the Sibillini Mountains and characterized by different settlement patterns. The main centres were, along the cost, Firmum Picenum (Fermo) a Latin colony founded in 264 BC and Novana, corresponding to the presentday Comunanza, at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains, which was a forum (3rd-2nd cent BC) and later became a municipium mentioned by Pliny. The “Romanization” process appears to have been carried out with a flexible approach by adapting to varied geomorphological peculiarities and developing the economic potentialities of the territories: mainly the specialized production of wine and olive oil in the coastal area and “industrial” breeding in the inland district. In addition to the main centres, villae and farmsteads scattered in the countryside, sanctuaries, harbours and ports of call, road stations and ephemeral sites contributed to modelling the complexity of the ancient landscapes.