The Province of Cremona [antikvár]

Inhabited since the earliest times, it owes its fertility to its rivers and traces of prehistoric life often come to light along their banks. The civilization of prehistoric settlements is documented by vestiges of pile dwellings along the course of the Adda at Crotta and Pizzighettone and along the Oglio at Ostiano, Gabbioneta and Binanuova; by the remains of primitive stone and bone arms and implements near Piadena, Vho, Lagazzi, Drizzona, Ca' d'Andrea and Pieve d'Olmi; by the traces of an open village at Cella Dati; by the prehistoric settlements at Ognissanti di Pieve S. Giacomo and S. Caterina Tredossi where central European influence are evidenced by the observance of cremation rituals. Piadena - Román mosaic In the bronzé age, life extended to Cremonese territory in the area round the laké of Gerundo: Marzale, Pieranica, Cantuello di Ricengo, Vaiano, Camisano, Chieve and alsewhere. The existence of an actual 9th or ioth century B.C. village at Montecchio di Vidolasco was revealed by a ceramic household utensil, typical of a people leading a peaceful, rural life. And everywhere, in places that must have already been protected from the inroads of the river and marsh waters, evidence of the preponderant Gallic-Italic or, according to Román historians, Gallic Insubrian civilizations has come to light. At Dovera, for instance, and Ripalta Arpina, Roncadello d'Adda and Spino d'Adda. Westwards, the nearness of the Etruscan colony of Mantua undoubtedly made the influence of this new civilization felt, in the 6th century B.C., with the diffusion of the alphabet; at the same time linguistic contacts with central and north eastern Europe became frequent. With the raising of Cremona to the status of latin right colony, in 219 B.C., the boundaries of the surrounding territory were established and it was divided between six thousand Román settlers. In 190 B.C., another three thousand were admitted, after the victory over the insurgent Gauls and again, in 41 B.C., at the end of the civil wars, withnessed by the poet Virgil who alsó took part in them, part of the territory was assigned to the war veterans. The city and its territory, just as they had been the bulwarks of defence during the Carthaginian onslaughts and the Gallic revolts, quickly developed into commercial cornerstones, advantaged by the vast road network which, thorugh Cremona and its territory, linked the main- production areas of the Empire. The