Nesactium

Ližnjan, Croatia

Nesactium was an ancient fortified town and hill fort of the Histri tribe. In pre-Roman times, Nesactium, ruled by its legendary king Epulon, was the capital of the tribal population of the peninsula called Histri, who were also connected to the prehistoric Castellieri culture. Some theories state a later Celtic influence, but who they were and where they came from has never been discovered for certain. It is believed that their main economic activities were trade and piracy all over the ancient Mediterranean Sea.

In 177 BC, the town was conquered by the Romans and destroyed. Rebuilt upon the original Histrian pattern, it was a Roman town until 46–45 BC, when the Ancient Greek colony Polai was elevated to Pietas Iulia, today Pula. The town was located on the ancient road Via Flavia, which connected Trieste to Dalmatia. The area was abandoned by the Romans in the 6th century, following the Slav invasions.

At the end of the fourth century, the walls were renewed. Two churches were added, next to each other, between the bathhouse and the forum. The southern one, the largest, was probably dedicated to Mary and used for the daily ceremonies; the northern one was used for baptisms and religious ceremonies. There are traces of fire, which may have something to do with the Avar attacks on Histria in 600 and 611.

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Address

Nezakcij, Ližnjan, Croatia
See all sites in Ližnjan

Details

Founded: 9th century BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Croatia

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sanja Mish (12 months ago)
Amazing!
Harry's Wanderlust (2 years ago)
Beautiful archeological site, that unfortunately is far too unknown and advertised. Would love to see more being excavated. Be sure to buy one of the small books (have 30 Kuna with you. The site host doesn't have change!) with great information and give the site host a tip! Such a friendly guy! And the site is just amazing! Next time I will return here, I'll definitely bring a drone to get a better overview over the site, as only a small part is excavated. Update: Drone flying is unfortunately not a good idea because of the airport and military base nearby, so I didn't do it this time. If it is closed you can take the small path at the side, but you won't be able to see the small museum or by the small booklet with information on the site. You can visit the site free of charge. Please don't leave trash there! Opening times changed! Summer: Every day from 9:00-12:00 Winter: Every day from 9:00-12:00/14:00-17:00
Petra Koptisch (3 years ago)
If you are in the area anyway than it might be a good idea to stop by. However not worth of extra trip. But the atmosphere is nice and the location itself too.
Zdravka M (3 years ago)
Great location but lacks more details / historical data and attractions such as location or photos of other finds of former urban villas on the southern slope. I also suggest that the fence not be locked. Anyway, the side path is a path ...
NatBan (4 years ago)
worth, old temples
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