Synthesizing some thirty years of archaeological research in southeastern Italy, this important study spans a millennium during which a variety of Mediterranean tribal communities evolved into a central part of the Roman Empire. Douwe Yntema draws on the archaeological record to explain how small groups developed into complex societies; how these societies adapted to increasingly wide horizons; and how Italian groups and migrants from the eastern Mediterranean created entirely new social, economic, cultural, and physical landscapes. In doing so, he offers a new perspective on the breathtaking...