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THE TERRITORY
 The city of Ostra Antica stood on a river terrace, on the left bank of the Sena river (now named Misa). According to the ancient road system, this was a strategic point, because it crossed two sidestreets of the Flaminia consular road. The fi rst side- street came from Forum Semproni (now called Fossombrone), and went on to Suasa, and reached Ostra. This route was considered as the initial route of the so-called “Salaria Gallica” which ran parallel along the coastal road axis, and went on to Picenum, then reaching Ascoli, as some uncovered milestones now witness. The second side-street drew away from the Flaminia road at the built up area of Ad Esem (now called Scheggia), and went on to Sentinum (now called Sassoferrato), passed Ostra and then reached Sena Gallica (now called Senigallia) with its shipping trades on the Adriatic sea. The territory, in which lived Galli Senoni until the fourth century B.C., became part of the Agro Gallico Roman dominion after the battle of Sentnum in 295 B.C.
THE CITY
 The city became a Municipium, probably in the second half of the fi rst century B.C., according to the politics of land distribution to the veterans of Julius Caesar after the civil war, and it was ascribed by the Pollia tribe. Because of the needs of this new political and administrative situation, the necessary urban establishments were built there. The ring of walls, the forum, (graphical sources mention a Collegium fabrum and a Colleggium centonariorum as a witness of the presence of artisan guilds) a temple (thecult of Bona Dea has been documented), a wide thermal complex and an exceptional theatre , the presence of which are all a sign of the settlement liveliness. No other news about Ostra Antica was heard until 502 A.C., when it was mentioned as the “Bishops vision”. It was destroyed by the Goths of Alarico in the fi fth century A.D. during the barbaric invasions. The survivors took refuge on a hill in order to defend themselves and gave birth to the settlement, where nowadays, the town of Ostra Vetere rises.
After many vicissitudes due to the Langobardic and Carolingian dominations with the medieval renaissance in 1200, the town became a self- governing municipality and was named Montenovo. In 1882, the name was changed into the present name of Ostra Vetere by a royal decree.
THE ARCHAELOGICAL AREA
 The archaeological area is situated 3 kilometres from the current village of Ostra Vetere, on a plain called “Le Muracce”. Following the fortuitous discovery of the virile statue, archaeological excavations were conducted during the fi rst years of the last century, and they uncovered important remains of the ancient city. A wide area of the Forum, limited by three paved streets, were discovered, as well as a theatre of a diameter of approximately 45 metres, a part of the temple wall and a wide thermal building. After the discoveries, these structures were almost entirely buried again.
THE ROMAN THEATRE
 The excavations conducted in the fi rst years of the last century in the contiguous part of the thermal area, had already highlighted the presence of a theatre of wide dimensions. Unfortunately the graphic documents, produced in that period and arrived to us, are insuffi cient. At the beginning of 2005, the Archaeology Supervisor and the local administration conducted campaigns of excavations in the area in order to notice the correspondence between the available surveys and the real consistency and typology of the preserved structures. The results obtained were of great interest. Besides confi rming the correspondence between what was already known, the surveys allowed to ascertain the presence of an arcade, situated in the northern part of the stage building, whose existence was ignored until that moment. On this side the remains of pillars,running through the northern part of the stage building, and those of the stage were highlighted.
The building presented three rows of stands. The fi rst one, as well as the area reserved to the orchestra, was made in negative while the remaining two rows were made in elevation. The stage building has a length of 34,63 metres and it reaches a total length of 49,13 metres with the addition of the lateral buildings.
THE STATUE
 After centuries of abandonment and complete oblivion of the ancient lively city, an exceptional and fortuitous discovery, has testifi ed the remains in Ostra Antica, of a statue portraying the so-called “Traiano”.
It is a virile statue, in heroic nudity, made in Parian marble and bearing a cloak which descends on the left arm, wrapping the hand which holds the sword hilt. Its characteristics are typical of the official imperial portraits, which were spread with propaganda purposes, through the different councils. Since the image of the emperor in office, as well as the one of his wife, laid down the law about aesthetic clergy, it has been possible to attribute the portrait to the period of the Traiano’s empire (98-117 A.D.)
You may notice a similarity with the portrait of the emperor preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Ascoli Piceno. Traiano was famous for his liberality and it is possible that he allowed magistrates or notables of those places the opportunity to erect honorary statues in the forum, portraying their official portraits. The portrait, discovered in 1841 in the forum, was sold to the city of Geneva after many vicissitudes, where it is still preserved and viewable at the Museé d’Art et d’Histoire.
THE “THERMAE”
 In the south western side of the city, a wide quadrangular building, dating back to the second century A.D., and still used until the fourth century A.D, came to light. It was approximately 60 metres long, and inside, twelve rooms were discovered, decorated with mosaic carpets. The mosaics were reproduced in watercolour and they consist of geometrical polychrome decorations.
In the Autumn of the year 2000, the Archaeology Supervisor of the Marche region, conducted an excavation campaign and restoration of some of the mosaic floors, which were reallocated later. This intervention uncovered fragments of a floor beneath “opus sininum” and of a bichrome mosaic, dating back between the first century A.C. and testifying the presence of a pre-existing residential building of the “Thermae”.
THE STREETS
 The entrance to the city from the area coming from Sena Gallica (Senigallia) was discovered during the excavation campaign in 2009. The street, buried again today in order to conserve it, coincides with the “decumanus maximus” which is composed of paving stones of considerable dimensions and was found in a good state of preservation. In the same year, another excavation was conducted in the forum area, and it brought to light the street, limiting it in addition to some environments opening on the forum itself.
The discovered street, which can be seen today, is 14 metres long, and is in a perfect state of preservation. A paved stone surface is lined on both sides with two sidewalks of an approximate width of 0.80 metres, which are dozens of centimetres higher than the roadway.
THE TEMPLE
 At the beginning of 2006, the Department of Archaeology of the University of Bologna began an intervention of restoration, also in the area where the temple stood. The two environments, which are still viewable today and which belong to the sacred building, stand on a high podium, rising to over three metres from the forum path, made in big calcareous slabs from Furlo. The temple became a Christian cult building in “Late Antiquity”.
Later, near the temple, a building was brought to light, where some square metres of white mosaic floors were discovered. The building which has a quadrangular shape but which ends with an apsidal part, was probably a sacellum of worship, associated with the contiguous temple.
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Excavation campaign photos:
  
  
  
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Area Archeologica 
Unione
Governo
Senato 
Regione
Provincia
ITALIANO
FRANCAIS
DEUTSCH
