Roman roads between Iader, Burnum and Salona

Authors

  • Željko Miletić Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15291/radovipov.2278

Abstract

After the analysis of the topographical, geographical, archeological road- surveying data and the informations from the itineraries, the author restitutes the Roman road network in the area between lader and Salona. The not enough argumented suggestions are rejected and the right position of some road stations is exactly defined. The author also brings more accurate description of those roads wich the earlier authors described summarly and partially. Due to a dearth of archeological evidence, it is not certain where the majority of Roman settlements along the Senia- Burnum road were located. Avendo lay on the Crkvina locality near Brlog, Arupium on the Vital locality near Prozor. The village Kvarte is too distant for it to be the place where to search for Epidotium. The road bifurcates in the Lika field so that the recommended ubication for Ancus is either in Vrebac or in Ribnik. Ausancalio was located in the Sv. Rok - Lovinac region. The evidence from the boundary stones and the informations from Ptolemey and the itineraries strenghten the older theses that Sidrona was placed in Gradina near Medvida. Clambetae has been unfoundedly connected with the Cvijina gradina near Obrovac. From Iader the road lead across Babindub, not far from the locality Crkvina - Galovac, south of St Luke’s church near Škabmja, across Nadin (Nedinum), Podgrađe (Asseria) and Alveria into Burnum. The road crossed the Krka river (Titius fl.) near Bobodol, then it continued to Promona (that is, between the villages of Tepljuh, Miočić and Biočić), along the Kadina Glavica (where auxiliary troops had their camp), passed the river Cikola near the wrecked Vezovid bridge and entered into municipium Magnum (Balina glavica). Through the glen of the Vrba stream the road reached Gomji Mud (Andetrium) and Klis from where it entered into Salona by three forks. The first descended down Klis Kosa and right shore of the'Jadro river (Salon fl.), the other down Bili brig, while the third went through Žižić, Donje Rupotine and Manastirine to the episcopal center. The road from Asseria to Scardona passed through the Roman settlement in Piramatovci. An important Roman road went from Varvaria, across Smrdelji and, crossing the Krka River at Roški falls, continued to Promona. The road Iader - Scardona - Salona, mentioned in Tabula Peutingeriana, ran along sunclinale, across Stabanj (Blandona) to Kašić. It is still unknown which rout followed the segment of the road to Scardona where it crossed the Krka river. The road climbed along Milković draga, passed through the village of Gradina , ran about two kilometers to the west of Rider, and entered Grebaštica (ad Pretorum). Across the still unexplored Hyllis peninsula there were two uncertain segments: one ran towards the east from the Kremik hillfort through Stupin to Vrsine, and there it connected with the other through the village of Široka. From Vrsine the Roman road went through Seget Donji, Trogir, Resnik (Siculi) and along the Kaštela coastline to Salona. The questions concerning this route are duscussed in context of the colony ager delimitation and the construction of the Salona western cemetery (with the so called "murazzo"). The road mentioned in Antonine Itinerary, which connected Iader to S-alona, went through Arauzona (Velika Mrdakovica or Gradina above Dragišić), with the possibility of multiple crossings of the mouth of the Krka river. From there it ran alongside the hillfort of St John near Vrpolje, through the villages of Boraja, Ljubitovica and Seget Donja and into Trogir. Along the road which from Siculi and Tragurium lead to Magnum, somewhere near Uncšić, we would put Late Roman settlement of Tabia (Ravenna Geographer). The toponyme Tubnium (site in the no loger existing village of Kosević) from the 15th century bears this out. The Roman road from Grebaštica, near Rider connected the coast to the interior through the village of Žitnić to Promona. From there, the road went to the village of Kijevo that is, to the hillfort above Topolje. The author also describes other vicinal roads.

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Original scientific paper