Contributo alla carta archeologica di Ruvo di Puglia e del suo territorio

Ruvo di Puglia is located in the continuity of life in central Puglia. It stands on a hill located between the area Murgia and the Adriatic coast. The first traces of the area date back to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic and the phase is documented peuceta with numerous monumental tombs with rich graves. At the beginning of the third century BC, Ruvo becomes a member before becoming municipium after the social war. The survival of the city was guaranteed by the Via Minucia which connected Benevento to Brindisi through Puglia. This road will become the Traiana in Imperial times, ensuring continuity of life in the city. Nevertheless, the town lost its hegemony and was greatly reduced. One of the few pieces of epigraphic evidence of Roman attests to the presence of a surrounding wall of which no trace remains: what is preserved material dates from the Aragonese domination. The attention is focused on the origins of Ruvo in the early nineteenth century, following the random discoveries of rich grave peuceta. This phenomenon contributes to wage a “excavations fever” and plundering of a necropolis with consequent destruction of the ancient urban fabric. Encouraged by Borbonic Government, the results of these excavations went to increase the actual collection of the Museum Borbonico of Naples and private collections around the world.