Cosa was a latin colony founded in the 273 a.C. together at that of Paestum. But at difference of Paestum, Cosa rised on a hill area didn't occupied by the inhabitantes more old. The foundation was accompanied by the only foundamental works: surrounding wall, the road net of basis with public spaces and a few essential buildings for the collective life; there are also auguraculum on the arx, the curia, the meeting in trhe Foro could dated after the first punic war (241 a.C.). 
At the beginning of the II century a.C., Cosa riceved thousands new colons and about 150 a.C. assisted at a renovate building activity that changed the public spaces in ellenistic shape: on the arx, at the place of the Giove's Temple, rised the big architecture of the Capitolium at triple cell while in the Foro was built the big Basilica. 
As meaningful, in the second half of the II century a.C., was the expansion of the private buiding that embellished of mosaic and picture. 
The economic transformation of the II century and the politic and military facts in the first part of the I century a.C. took Cosa towards a crisi and the town underwent the depopulation and the desertion. Little infact are the traces of the life in the imperial Roma period. 
In the zone can be visited also three important roman villas of the republican late age: Colonne's villa, Settefinestre's villa and Provincia's villa.