Public building and monumentalization of Roman cities in the Alps. Epigraphy at the service of topography

From the end of the 1st century BC onwards, a progressive monumentalization (a greater development of public architecture) can be observed in Roman cities. In the Alpine centres, whose situation in a high mountainous landscape was also relatively new for Romans, this phenomenon occurs at an even faster and stronger rate. These territories became points of connection and exchange between Italy and the Northern provinces of the Roman Empire. Political choices are reflected in the urban planning and are strongly influenced by the geographical and morphological context. It becomes apparent that the dynamics of the settlement development in areas strongly characterized by mountainous landscape led to specific planning choices. Although Roman cities in the Alpine valleys were mostly founded in flat areas close to rivers, the attachment to the mountain was constant. The sources of information for this question are mainly archaeological. Many Roman cities in the Alps correspond to modern towns, so ancient topography is known from several urban excavations. Nonetheless, Latin inscriptions, mostly found as spolia related to ancient public monuments, sometimes reveal interesting details about their construction, reconstruction or restoration. The innovative approach of this contribution relies on the interaction between topographic (archaeological) and epigraphic research. We will examine the urban development of Roman cities in the Alps from the Augustan age to Late Antiquity, comparing their geographical and topographical context with their epigraphic material. Our research will include cities with different juridical statuses, located both in Roman Italy and in the provinces, that are strongly connected to mountainous landscape.