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The Late Roman Principia in Tarsatica, part of Claustra Alpium Iuliarum

During Year 2007 archaeology team of the Croatian conservation institute (HRZ) conducted a archaeological excavation of a Late Roman Principia site in center of the city of Rijeka, a former roman Tarsatica. Almost a quarter of a Principia was excavated on cca 488 m2 surface. Principia remains are mostly hidden under the streets of a Old town of Rijeka, but some of its original walls are still inmured in older buildings. It was know to researchers even before that this has to be the site of late roman command post for liburnian part of Claustra Alpium Iuliarum. This defence system used to protect Italia from barbaric incursions from direction of Pannonian plain. It spread from Adriatic sea at Rijeka, Croatia, to peaks of Alp mountains of Slovenia. Claustra consisted of stone walls build just on strategical points, in walleys, mountain crossings etc. Strategic positions were defended by series of speculae, small fortlets and castra. Southernmost part of the Claustra was protected by the river Rječina and the Tarsatica fort at its estuary. Our excavation of Principia was a first systematical exploration of the site. We uncovered stone paved central courtyard, lateral raised courtyard, three lateral rooms, massive wall most probably belonging to the basilica and remains of a stairs leading to its raised level. We managed to reconstruct a probable appearance of whole complex using data from our excavations in relation to some still preserved traces of original walls in standing buildings. Lot of small finds were recovered too, wich helped to find out many interesting details about character of a site. They also helped to date building of the Principia most probably in time of emperor Gallienus soon after year 260 and destruction and abandonment of a site in time of Theodosius or Arcadius somewhere between years 395-405.

Claustra Alpium Iuliarum, Tarsatica, Principia

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