Gallery
Photo credits: Giovanni Hänninen
History
The municipium of Veleia was founded following the Roman conquest in the 2nd century BC in the heart of the territory of the Ligurian tribe of Veleates, on the site of a pre-existing indigenous center. The city developed on a system of sloping terraces. The forum was built on an artificial plateau obtained with a massive excavation. Paved at the time of Augustus by Lucius Licinius Priscus, an important local magistrate, it is surrounded on three sides by a portico onto which shops and public spaces opened. An imposing entrance allowed access from the lowest terrace. On the opposite side the complex was closed by the basilica, where the twelve large statues in Luni marble stood, depicting members of the Julio-Claudian family, today in the National Archaeological Museum of Parma. Upstream are the remains of the living quarters and a thermal building. A cultural heritage of the region since 1760, when the Duke of Parma Don Filippo di Borbone began its exploration following the chance discovery (in 1747) of the bronze inscription of Trajan’s Tabula Alimentaria , Veleia is today one of the most important archaeological centers in northern Italy. The Antiquarium, recently reorganized, houses finds that illustrate the most significant moments in the history of Veleia.