Adria (river) - History

History

Between the 12th and the 9th century BC the mainstream of the Po followed this channel; its course was more or less what nowadays is the system of the Fissero-Tartaro-Canalbianco canals and flowed into the Adriatic sea by the modern Adria (at that time the coastline was far more upriver than nowadays). The first hamlets of Adria were settled by the Veneti; also the settlement of Frattesina, near modern Fratta Polesine, was active by this river during these centuries.

On the 9th or 8th century BC the mainstream of the Po river changed, due to the so-called "breach at Sermide", and followed a channel more to the south, the Spina river. The Etruscans dug canals in order to drain the "Adrian swamps" (i.e. the swamps that surrounded Adria); the Tartaro river was diverted north-est into the Philistina canal and other canals (the fossiones) were dug parallel to the coastline in order to allow navigation on the inland instead of on the sea. The town of Adria and its port on the Adria river flourished on the 6th century BC; new settlements were founded on dry land, from the sea towards the inland, upstream the Adria river and other lesser streams.

The Adria river was still active while the Greeks ruled the area on the 4th century BC, namely by Dionysius I of Syracuse and his son Dionysius II; the Greeks also maintained the canals of drainage, though imposing Greek hydronyms (for instance Philistina is from Philistus). The Adria channel survived the Gauls period and was still there when the Romans arrived. Pliny the Elder however does not write of this Adria river anymore; the Adige overflowed into the Tartaro-Philistina and caused a flood in the area that turned to a swamp again. By the way, the port of Adria was still working thanks to the fossiones and the other canals, still maintained by the Romans. The sources of Pliny most probably referred to a previous state of the territory, so it is almost certain that the Adria channel ceased to exist before or about the 1st century BC.