ABSTRACT
Between the middle republic and the early imperial period, the Roman colony of Minturnae developed from a small colonia maritima on the Via Appia into a medium-sized city. Central in its urban development were the Via Appia, which ran straight through the city, and a zone with public temples, monuments, and a forum that emerged immediately outside the walls of the old castrum along the street. The historical development of the buildings flanking the Via Appia, and the gradual, unplanned spread of statues and monuments on and around the forum plaza shows how the urban landscape became fragmented, and differentiated into smaller locales, each with its own distinct character; arbitrary access to these spaces was restricted. At the same time, it is clear that the development of these urban spaces followed its own logic, depending on locally specific developments, circumstances, and actors, so that similar historical processes could lead to different outcomes in different places.
