Administrativne jedinice nepoznatog imena iz istočne Bosne i Podrinja / Administrative Units of Unknown Name from Eastern Bosnia and Podrinje

Abstract

We witness the continual habituation of the Romanija-Rogatica region in the period of early Roman Empire primarily as the result of archaeological findings. A Roman settlement was located in the center of the present-day town of Rogatica (south-eastern Bosnia). Based on the analysis involving Tabula Peutingeriana, milestones and archaeological findings, we can conclude that the route Salona – Argentaria (Tab. Peut. 5, 3 - 6, 2) passed near this town. This territory once was also the headquarters of a Roman colony of unknown name. The paper presents different views regarding the name of this administrative units. The analysis of Latin inscriptions on epigraphic monuments made an attempt at answering this question. A particularly important monument for the study of the Roman colony in Rogatica is tombstone dedicated to Titus Claudius Maximus. According to this monument, the said person was a decurion of the colony Ris(…?). Inscriptions dedicated to decurions, duumviri and military veterans corroborate the existence of the colony in Rogatica. Prosopography also shows the relationship between the colony Ris(…?) and the settlement of military veterans, as they appear as city servants in this town. The second part of the paper focuses on the territory of the upper course of the Drina river that belonged to the municipal unit whose center was in the village of Komini near Pljevlja (Montenegro). This territory is located between the mountains Pivska, Ljubiša, Kovač, Jahorina, Treskavica, Lelija, Zelengora and Maglić. Although Komini hold a relatively small number of inscriptions that mention local officials from the municipium, not a single monument has preserved the full name of this administrative unit. They most commonly mention only the function of a particular person. The only inscription that shares more information is the honorary inscription dedicated in accordance with the decision of the council of decurions for the Roman knight and decurion Titus Aurelius Sextianus. This inscription states that this person was a decurion in municipium S(…?). Scholars have frequently identified this name with Splonum mentioned by Cassius Dio (Dio. 56. 11, 2). However, this paper emphasizes that Dio’s text suggests that Splonum should be located in western Bosnia. When it comes to the territory of the upper course of the Drina river, there are no inscriptions mentioning decurions, duumviri or aediles. Namely, Roman villas were mostly commonly found here (villae rusticae, villae sururbanae, villae urbanae). These archaeological findings support the thesis which claims that this territory was part of municipium S(…?), that was the closest to it geographically.