In this article the historical profile and the urban landscape of the ancient city of Bari in the Roman period will be examined. This will be achieved through the careful gathering and timely analysis of the available archaeological evidence, from past excavations and recent projects, and also by considering this evidence in the light of the information available from literary, epigraphic and numismatic sources. This study thus aims to rewrite, in a global context and over a long time-span, the detailed historical circumstances and the complex settlement framework of the municipium of Bari, which is documented by and debated through — in the broadest context, taking into account the whole Apulian-Adriatic region — the complex archaeological stratification, the forms of institutional and social organization, the dynamic role assumed by the topographical context in both the urban and rural environment, the character and uniformity of the material culture, and the nature of the limited but significant monumental evidence.