The Roman conquest beyond Aquileia (II-I centuries BC)

The renewed interest in the Romanisation of Caput Adriae and the application of modern remote sensing technologies are revolutionising archaeological knowledge at a rapid pace, allowing us to shed new light on the presence of the Roman army and conflict archaeology. These topics have long been discussed almost exclusively on the basis of historical sources and epigraphic evidence. Among the numerous studies that have appeared in recent years on Romanisation and the Roman army, three multi-author monographs stand out: XVII Roman Military Equipment Conference Zagreb 2010, Weapons and Military Equipment in a Funerary Context (Zagreb 2013), Evidence of the Roman army in Slovenia / Sledovi rimske vojske na Slovenskem (Ljubljana 2015) and The Roman army between the Alps and the Adriatic (Ljubljana 2016). In the hinterland of Trieste, intensive research of newly identified Roman camps has continued in recent years, partly within the framework of Italian-Slovenian cooperation. The results were presented in the exhibition Oltre Aquileia. La conquista romana del Carso (II-I secolo a.C.) / Onkraj Akvileje. Rimsko osvajanje Krasa (2. in 1. stoletje pr. n. št.) / Beyond Aquileia. The Roman Conquest of the Karst (2nd–1st century BC), 16 October 2021 – 28 February 2022. In connection with the exhibition, the international conference The Roman Conquest Beyond Aquileia (II–I century BC) was held in Bagnoli della Rosandra – Boljunec (Trieste – Trst) on 10–11 November 2021. There, the research results from the Karst area were compared with contemporary military and historical contexts. Given the wealth of new knowledge, it was decided in 2022 to prepare a book that would present the Roman army in the territories east of Aquileia and beyond, from the first conquests to the early Principate. The results of this effort are the nine contributions of 19 authors from four countries (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria), which summarise the historical, epigraphic and archaeological evidence from a large area. The main part of the book The Roman Conquest Beyond Aquileia (II–I centuries BC) is devoted to the northern Adriatic and its hinterland. The topography of the first year of the Histrian War (178–177 BC) is examined in the context of a historical debate, observing the gradual transition from the exclusive exegesis of literary sources to the complementary use of archaeological data. The important archaeological evidence for the military presence in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC is discussed in the following chapters. The various phases of the San Rocco military camp are presented based on remote sensing surveys, fieldwalking, archaeological excavations, and analysis of small finds. A special numismatic study is devoted to the sites of San Rocco and Grociana piccola. Recent excavations have brought new insights into the beginnings of the settlement of San Giusto in Trieste. The early presence of the Roman army and the conflicts with the autochthonous population are studied on the basis of inscriptions, the re-evaluation of the hoard of Roman weapons from Grad near Šmihel pod Nanosom and the analysis of small-scale artefacts from the three indigenous sacred places in the Tolmin–Cerkno region (Grad near Reka, Gradišče in Cerkno and Vrh gradu near Pečine). In central Dalmatia, LiDAR scans and archaeological investigations have revealed several early Roman camps, providing a completely new insight into the landscape. Based on written sources, Roman offensive policy in the southern Adriatic, the Ionian region, and the interior of the Balkans is discussed.