ROMAN AUXILIARY FORTS IN DALMATIA: THE CASE OF TILURIUM

Abstract

The legionary fortress of Tilurium (village of Gardun near Trilj in Croatia) has been the subject of archaeological excavations from 1997; and until now, four monographs have been published dealing with the material found in the campaigns from 1997 to 2010. One of the main achievements of these excavations is definitely the confirmation that the stone objects inside the fortress were not built prior to the reign of Claudius; which is something that has also been noted in the case of Burnum, the second legionary fortress in Dalmatia. However, previously there was no knowledge of the auxiliary forts near the fortress of Tilurium, which, of course, should have been expected, especially considering the case of the fortress of Burnum, for which we know was strengthened with four auxiliary forts, built probably during the reign of Claudius. In this paper, the author reveals the remains of the Roman auxiliary fort located on a karstic plateau above the river Cetina, approx. 550 meters south of the legionary fortress of Tilurium. It is highly evident that the fort controlled the crossing over the river Cetina, situated below the pre-Roman hillfort of Svalinova Gradina in Čaporice. According to the information from the ancient itineraries, it is most likely that the road station of Pons Tiluri should be located around that river crossing.