Roman Settlements and Communication Lines between the Adriatic and the Danube (First to Fourth Centuries)

The Institute for Balkan Studies of SASA, Belgrade and the Faculty of Philosophy, Niš have recently published monograph of Dr Vladimir P. Petrović, Senior Research Associate of the Institute for Balkan Studies of SASA, entitled: Roman Settlements and Communication Lines between the Adriatic and the Danube (First to Fourth Centuries).

The geographical framework of this monograph is the territory of the Balkans and partly of Central Europe, from the Adriatic Sea up to the right bank of the Danube, the territories of the ancient Roman provinces Dalmatia and Pannonia, south of the river Drava, which grew out of the province Illyricum during the reign of the Flavian dynasty. The book also focuses upon the whole territory of Upper Moesia (Moesia Superior). The subject of this study is the ancient Roman settlements and communication routes in the area stretching from the Adriatic to the Danube, especially the characteristics such as their age, character, functions, contemporary ubication and the degree of the archaeological research. Namely, two significant hodological issues present in the space of the aforementioned three Roman provinces are being analysed and related in a particular way: important communication routes recorded in the historical sources (itineraries – road maps) and the roads of the vicinal, i.e. local character together with important settlements and all individually recorded or, in certain cases, hypothetic stations connected by the Roman roads. This monograph aims to emphasise the significance and particularity of this extensive and scientifically challenging issue. The method used is the comparative analysis of the versatile resource materials, such as literary works, epigraphic sources, as well as the results of the archaeological excavations.