On the Orientation of Roman Cities in the Illyrian Coast: a Statistical and Comparative Study

This paper presents new data on the orientation of ten Roman settlements in the

Croatian Adriatic region (part of ancient Illyria), from Parentium in Istria to Narona in Dalmatia, and their analysis and possible interpretation. It includes the analysis of the most important sacred or public buildings on these sites. This work is an extension to a new geographic area of a wide and ambitious project for the study of the role of astronomy in Roman urban layout started some years ago which has constituted the bulk of the recently defended PhD Thesis of the second author. The main aim is to check whether Roman cities present astronomical patterns in their orientations. The origin of this research lies in ideas about how to properly orientate the main streets of a town, something accounted by several ancient sources. Our results show that cities in the ancient Illyrian coast followed patterns that could be interpreted within an astronomical context, notably in those cities and camps erected or re-founded under Augustus’ patronage where a suggestive equinoctial preference can be ascertained.

Archaeoastronomy. Illyria. Roman cities. Augustus. Orientation. Equinox.