I wonder how many ancient strains have gone extinct? The specie Apis Mellifera covered Europe, North Africa and West Asia. Each little micro-climate had it's own strain, that had evolved to SURVIVE there. They might not have been the best economic choice, at the time, but they were suited to their environment. The Italian Race has supplanted a lot of these 'survivor bees'.
I wonder if the Italian Honey bee wasn't an IMPORT into Italy.
The Phoenicians traded with the "Tin Isles" (believed to be England) before Rome even existed. The Roman Empire imported thousands of exotic animals for public entertainment. Why couldn't they have imported a better strain of bee from one of their provinces?