The boundaries of the Roman VIII regio roughly corresponded to those of the modern Italian administrative region of Emilia-Romagna.
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This area was, before the Roman conquest, the territory of the Gallic tribes Boii (who gave their name to the city of Bologna) and Senones.
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Many of the recently defeated tribes (such as the Insubres and the Boii) rebelled and joined forces with Hannibal in the hope of regaining their independence.
Castelfranco either occupies or lies near the site of the ancient Forum Gallorum, a place on the Via Aemilia between Modena and Bologna, where in 43 BC Octavian and Hirtius defeated Mark Antony.