From Montarice to Potentia/Da Montarice a Potentia. Central Adriatic Valley-mouth Domination between Bronze Age Farmers and Roman Colonisers

The Potenza Valley Survey project, carried out between 2000 and 2021 by an international team of specialists, is one of the most important archaeological research initiatives in the Marche region. It uncovered significant evidence for the history and development of the coastal landscape around the mouth of the Potenza River. The project demonstrated that two key sites near present-day Porto Recanati - the prehistoric hilltop settlement of Montarice and the Roman town of Potentia - played central roles in shaping the surrounding coastal landscape and organising settlement patterns and socio-economic activity over the long term, particularly between the Bronze Age and the Roman period. This book presents the principal results of the research and offers a diachronic perspective on human activity in this part of Italy and along the Adriatic coast.