ROME’S MARITIME MOMENTUM IN ADRIATIC ITALY: A GRAND STRATEGY BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION AND EXPANSION OF PORTS

This paper provides preliminary considerations on the study of Roman ports from a ‘grand strategy’ perspective. In recent scholarship, these liminal spaces have been considered only for their socioeconomic purposes rather than as infrastructures potentially constructed for multifaceted or more sophisticated scopes, such as control over and security of water and marine routes. In this paper, I examine the strategic significance of harbour installations, through an exploration of historical evidence from Roman Adriatic Italy (200 B.C.-300 A.D.). I provide some conclusions on alternative scopes of these maritime structures by highlighting the fact that a more ‘geopolitical’ approach may shed new light on ancient harbour studies.