Viciana (Latin : Viziana - Vizianum) or Station Viciano was a Roman road station (mansio type) [1] of unclear location, somewhere in Kosovo field. [2]
Viciana (Latin : Viziana - Vizianum) or Station Viciano was a Roman road station (mansio type) [1] of unclear location, somewhere in Kosovo field. [2]
Viciana was a stopping place for caravans that travelled the Lissus–Naissus route, one of the most important Roman roads. The route started from Lezha (Lissus) on the Adriatic coast, went through the Drin river valley, crossed through Dardania, and continued to Niš (Naissus). [3]
The location is unclear. It has been theorized to have been somewhere in the Kosovo field or in the present-day city of Vushtrri or its surrounding areas. [4] In addition, approximately 4 km south of Vushtrri, in the village of Pestovë, there are the archaeological ruins of the Roman villa known as Vila rustica, Pestova (archaeological site). [1] [5] [6] [7]
Viciano as a road station is recorded in the Tabula Peuntingeriana map, a medieval (15th century) map and copy of a 3rd-century Roman map showing this same itinerary. The road once passed near the ancient center of Municipium Ulpiana which connected it to other Roman towns, particularly mining centers rich in precious minerals. [8] [ better source needed ]
Llap Region is a region located in the north-eastern part of Kosovo. Llap in the broadest sense includes the watershed of the Llapi River. The Llapi water collection begins in the mountains of Kopaonik in the north and west and its source is considered to be the village of Pollatë, and ends by joining the Sitnica river in Lumadh, municipality of Vushtrri, in the north-west of Pristina. The topographic watershed of the Llapi River covers an area of 945.4 km2 (365.0 sq mi).
Lipjan or Lipljan is a town and municipality located in the Pristina District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has 6,870 inhabitants, while the municipality has 57,605 inhabitants.
Vushtrri is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the municipality has 69,870 inhabitants. Vushtrri is surrounded by the city of Mitrovica to the north, Podujevo in the east, Obiliq in the south, Drenas in the south-west, and Skenderaj in the west. The municipality of Vushtrri has 67 villages.
Ulpiana was an ancient Roman city located in what is today Kosovo. It was also named Justiniana Secunda. Ulpiana is located in the municipality of Graçanicë, 12 km southeast of Prishtinë. The Minicipium Ulpiana or Iustiniana Secunda was proclaimed an archaeological park under the permanent protection of Kosovo by the Kosova Council for Cultural Heritage in 2016. The archaeological park has an area of 161.10 hectares and a surrounding protection zone of 96.23 hectares. Ulpiana was among the largest settlements in the Balkans in late antiquity.
Thermidava is a toponym used by Ptolemy in relation to a settlement in the route of the Roman army during the Dacian campaign of Emperor Trajan. In the context of Ptolemy's narrative the settlement was located along the Lissus-Naissus route. The only other information about the settlement provided is that when Trajan passed through he was "greeted by friendly Dacians". Many locations have been proposed and rejected since the 19th century. A reading of the toponym hinted at a compound of Greek thermos and the Thracian suffix -dava or a toponym derived from Dacian. This led to theories that this was a settlement close to thermal springs and Banja of Peja was proposed as a location, but it has been rejected in modern research. The reference to a -dava settlement within a definitely Illyrian district made its localization within Illyria more unlikely. In contemporary analysis, Ptolemy's account is considered to refer to two different aspects of Trajan's route. Thermidava is most probably a misreading of Theranda. No pro-Roman Dacians have been recorded in the region, nor is their presence considered likely. Most scholars consider Ptolemy's account to refer to a settlement north of the Danube, near the Banat area where the interests of the locals aligned with those of the Romans in the Dacian campaign.
Vendenis was an ancient city in Dardania in Kosovo. Among three road stations that were constructed in Dardania during the Roman Period, Statio Vindenis, is one of the identified stations. This archaeological site is set at the area of the village of Gllamnik, Municipality of Podujeva. The site is located approximately 5 kilometres south of Podujeva.
Archaeology of Kosovo as a field of study and research was started in the second half of the 20th century. Kosovo's field of archaeology has developed in tandem with the historical study, studies of ancient authors' sources, classic philological studies, theological data research, topographic studies and ground survey, analysis of toponyms, deciphering of epigraphic and historiographic data. First data about antique monuments in Kosovo, were documented from the end of the 19th until the beginning of the Second World War, a time period when Kosovo was visited by researchers, guides, and archaeologists such as: Evans, Boue, Hahn, Kanitz, Tomaschek, Domaschevski, Arpad, Vulic, Jirecek, Patsch, Domenico Mustilli, etc.
This is a description of Neolithic sites in Kosovo. The warm, humid climate of the Holocene which came soon after the ice melting of the last glacial period brought changes in nature which were reflected in humans, flora and fauna. This climatic stabilization influenced human life and activities; human society is characterized by changes in community organization and the establishment of permanent settlements in dry places, near riverbanks and on fertile plateaus.
The Roman heritage sites in Kosovo represent a multitude of monuments of material and spiritual culture, which reflect the Roman period in this region. Among them, a special place is occupied by those that represent the development of art, such as the plastic monuments that are more frequent, and at the same time occupy an important place, because with the presentation of figures in relief and with numerous inscriptions they speak to us enough for this period.
Part of a series of articles upon Archaeology of Kosovo
Part of a series of articles upon Archaeology of Kosovo
Historical monuments in Pristina are made up of 21 monuments out of a total of 426 protected monuments all over Kosovo. A large number of these monuments date back to the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Since 1945, the Yugoslav authorities followed the idea of constructing a modern Pristina by relying in the urban development motto “destroy the old, build the new” and this resulted with major changes in the structure of the buildings, their function and their surrounding environment. However, numerous types of monuments have been preserved, including four mosques, a restored orthodox church, an Ottoman bath, a public fountain, a clock tower, several traditional houses as well as European-influenced architecture buildings such as the Museum of Kosovo. These symbolize the historical and cultural character of Pristina as it was developed throughout centuries in the spirit of conquering empires.
The strategic position of the region of Mitrovica in the middle of two great rivers Ibar and Sitnica and its mineral wealth in Albanik, made this location populated since prehistoric period. This region was populated by Illyrians, respectively members of the Dardan tribe. The first data for the archaeological sites in the region of Mitrovica, begin with the researches of Sir Artur John Evans, who was the first to pinpoint the Roman town of the Municipium Dardanourm. In the archaeological sites of the region of Mitrovica were found traces and objects from different periods such as; Neolithic, Roman, late antiquity and medieval period. Objects and figurines include: fortress vestiges, necropolis, Terpsichore figure, statues, sarcophagus, altar, jewelry, etc.
Bukosh, is a village in the Vushtrri municipality in Kosovo. It is inhabited by a majority of ethnic Albanians.
Duboc Fortress is situated above the Ceçan, part of the Ciçavica mountain chain, in the village of Duboc, approximately 10–12 km in the south-west of the Municipality of Vushtrri.
The Clock Tower in Pristina, Kosovo, was built in the 19th century by Jashar Pasha, after whom the Mosque is named not far from the Clock Tower. It served as a means of informing the town during the Ottoman Empire rule, in order to let people know when to pray as well as the traders closing their shops. The 26-meter high hexagonal clock tower was made of sandstone and bricks. The original tower was burned in fire and its bricks were used for reconstruction. The authentic bell was brought from Moldavia and has an inscription mentioning this fact. However, the circumstances of how the bell was brought to Pristina are not clearly known; its theft in 2001 is even more unclear. The same year, French KFOR troops assisted in installing a new clock by changing the old clock mechanism with an electric one.
Gazi Ali Beg Mosque is a mosque located in the old core of the city of Vushtrri,100 m away from the Old Hammam, as part of the Gazi Ali Beg Complex. Built in the 15th century, it is one of the oldest cultural heritage monuments in Kosovo.
The Gatherings of Poetesses in Vushtrri is an annual poetry festival of women and girls held in the city of Vushtrri in Kosovo, under the patronage of the city municipality. During the several decades of its existence, the Festival has awarded some of the most notable Kosovan and Albanian poetesses.
The Verboc Fortress known by local residents simply as Our Fortress is an Illyrian archaeological site located on a hilltop about 2 kilometers from the village of Verboc in Drenas Municipality, Drenica region, Kosovo. Today, it is a monument of Kosovo's cultural heritage with archaeological character.
