The ruins of Herdonia were discovered in the years after the Second World War, and remain only partially excavated; they are a short drive from the present-day town.

[3] It passed over to the Romans, with the rest of Apulia, after the wars of the Greek-Messapian League, commanded by King Pyrrhus of Epirus (280–275 BC).

From this moment on, the city did not recover until its insertion along the Via Traiana route, a coastal alternative of the Via Appia (Appian Way), at the beginning of the 2nd century AD.

In fact, during the Medieval era, the Tavoliere delle Puglie (Apulian Table) lost its agricultural vocation and became a main transhumance for sheep arriving from all of central Italy.

In 1774, Ordona became part of royal Bourbon property, allowing important new reclamation work to take place throughout the entire 19th century.