Asseria

Asseria stands on a low hill above the Ravni Kotari plain and was a Liburnian settlement long before Rome arrived - the walls that enclose it are built of very large unmortared blocks, some of them enormous, laid in the pre-Roman technique and standing to a considerable height in stretches. Rome took the place over and it became a municipium; the monumental gate that survives was built in the early second century and dedicated to Trajan, and the inscription naming him is still on it. Excavation has exposed the forum, a basilica and stretches of street. The site is open ground with no fencing and no charge.

Background

Before Rome, Asseria was an important centre of the Asseriates tribe in southern Liburnia. Under Roman rule it grew into a market centre on the road linking the colony of Iader with Salona, a route that also passed Burnum, Nedinum and Varvaria. Pliny the Elder notes that Rome exempted the town from paying tribute, and it probably received municipium status under Claudius, enrolled in the tribus Claudia. The ashlar walls predate the Romans, and the arch went up in 113 AD. Water came along a 3 km-long aqueduct fed by the Čatrnja spring at Lisičić, and finds from the excavations are kept at the Archaeological Museum in Zadar.

Source: Wikipedia, "Asseria"

What you'll find

• Liburnian megalithic walls - very large unmortared blocks, standing high.
• A gate dedicated to Trajan - built in the early second century.
• The Roman forum exposed - basilica and streets alongside.
• Open ground, no ticket - the site is unenclosed.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Things to know

There is no visitor centre, no signage of any depth and no facilities. The site is exposed with no shade. Snakes are a genuine consideration in summer. The track in is rough.

Nearby

Benkovac is north; Bribirska Glavica is east.

Key facts