In the pre-Roman era, the Canavese region was inhabited by the Salassi, a Celtic-origin people. In 143 B.C., the first clash with Rome occurred when the Salassi resisted the troops of the consul Appius Claudius Pulcher. Subsequently, Roman economic penetration intensified, and in 100 B.C., the Senate founded the Roman colony of Eporedia (now Ivrea) on a pre-existing fortified village of the Salassi. The resistance of the populations in the plain and in the nearby Aosta Valley was resolved in 25 B.C. by the emperor Augustus, who secured the surrender of the Salassi and founded the municipium of Augusta Praetoria. Ivrea thus became an important center for commercial exchanges between the Po Valley and Gaul, facilitated by the communication routes passing through Eporedia, Aosta, and the passes of the Piccolo and Colle del Gran San Bernardo. Under Roman rule, the region experienced a period of growth and development, as evidenced by archaeological findings, including a magnificent Roman mosaic discovered beneath the church of San Benigno Canavese, belonging to an ancient residence from the imperial era.