Fora, stationes and sanctuaries: the role of minor centres in the economy of Roman central Italy

<p>This 5-year project, funded by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), aimed to understand the role of rural nucleated sites (‘Minor Centres’) in the economy of Roman Central Italy. Such sites have so far received limited attention from archaeologists, but may have served both as central-places (market places, centers of craft production, religious and administrative foci) and as hubs in communication and exchange networks. The project studied the role of these sites through two approaches: top-down, exploring their potential roles at the macro-scale through (GIS-based) spatial analysis and using network analysis tools; and bottom-up, carrying out field research on three minor centres in the Pontine region in central Italy. This fieldwork in turn entailed systematic field surveys, magnetometry and coring. The collected ceramics were used for extensive typological and petrographic studies.</p>