Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, comune, and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Italian tile industry and for being the home town of Serie A side U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. Etymology The exact origin of the toponym Sassuolo is unclear. One theory is that it might derive from the abundant deposits of petroleum found in the area. This is because petroleum was anciently known as "stone oil" or "olio di sasso" in Italian, from which the composite word Sassuolo (sasso + olio) may have been created. Another hypothesis is that the name derives from the Latin words saxum solum meaning "rocky soil". This last theory seems to have inspired both the coat of arms and the town's motto - sic ex muricae gemmae - which is Latin for "thus from the rock, buds". History The territory was inhabited in ancient times by the pile-dwelling terramare civilization, then by an Eastern Ligurian tribe - the Friniates - during the Iron Age. The Celt Boii then settled this land around 400 BC, overlapping with the Friniates. The Boii were the most powerful and numerous Celtic tribe of Northern Italy, or Cisalpine Gaul, which they fiercely defended from the Romans. Although the archeological evidence is scarce, it is hypothesized that a Roman castrum may have been built in the area because of its strategic position. The first historical mention of the current settlement dates back to 980. In 1039 the town became part of the domains of Boniface of Canossa and was thus inherited by his daughter Matilda in 1076. In 1078, the consuls of Sassuolo swore loyalty to the commune of Modena. When Matilda died in 1115, the town became independent both from Tuscany and Modena. In 1373, the city was given to the Este family at the request of the citizens themselves, in exchange for the right to extract water from the river Secchia. The town was then ruled by the Este family until 1499, when it became the capital of the homonymous signoria ruled by the house of Pio. In 1599 the signoria was directly annexed to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio of which it remained a possession until the Italian Unification. From 1861 onwards, Sassuolo grew both in size and