Grociana piccola: A fortification in northern Italy dating to the Roman Republic.
[sciencythoughts.blogspot.com]
The Roman Republic saw the first expansion of Rome as a military power capable of dominating other areas of the Mediterranean, and the development of the distinctive military system which enabled the Roman Empire to dominate much of the world they knew. This makes the Roman military of this period of particular interest to archaeologists and historians. However, surprisingly few Roman fortifications survive from this period, with most of those that do being on the Iberian Peninsula, which may not, therefore, represent an accurate picture of the wider Roman world. Recently, investigations around Trieste, in northwestern Italy, have uncovered a series of military fortifications dating to the Roman Republic. These military fortifications are arranged in a linear pattern, facing towards northern Istria (a peninsula at the northern end of the Adriatic, and are thought to date from the Second or Third Istrian Wars (the conflicts in which the Romans subdued the peoples of Istria, whom they deemed to be 'fierce pirates'. Three fortifications have been found to date, a main camp on San Rocco Hill, and two smaller camps flanking this main fortification, Montedoro to the southwest and Grociana piccola to the northeast. San Rocco appears to have been occupied from the early second century BC till some time in the first century BC, while material excavated at Grociana piccola suggests this site was occupied between the end of the second century BC and the middle of the first century BC, although these sites may not have retained their military significance throughout their occupation history.