Port in northeast Italy. A principal 6th-5th century BC port on the Adriatic, and important crossover point for Etruscan and Greek trade, linking the sea routes with Etruria, the Po Valley and northern Europe. Variously described as of Venetie, Greek or Etruscan foundation, the town seems to have had a large Greek population. The alternation commonly found between the forms Adria and Atria itself suggests an Etruscan origin at least for the name, there being no separate ‘d’ in Etruscan script. Less plausible are popular etymologies which attempt to link the name Adria with the Adriatic, variously deriving the one from the other. Silting-up has always caused problems in this area, and it is very likely that the ancient coastline was nearer to Adria. References to a canal being dug at an early stage (possibly 5th century bc) are also credible. Today, flooding, high-water table and a basic bradyseism have covered much of the Roman and pre-Roman evidence with several metres of deposit.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied