Emona – ancient Ljubljana

Emona (Colonia Ivlia Aemona) was a Roman settlement in the area of today’s Ljubljana. The Ljubljana Basin was interesting from a strategic point of view, connecting the Adriatic and Central Europe and further the Baltic (Amber Route). It was located at the crossroads between Aquilea, Siscsio, and Poetovia and was by then navigable river Ljubljanica. The Romans probably came to today’s territory of Ljubljana in the middle of the first century BC. Merchants settled under the castle hill. During this period, there was a military camp along Karlovška road – Tribune. This was the basis for building a fortified settlement (castra) on the left bank of the Ljubljanica.

Position

Emona was built in the years 14 and 15 AD, at the time of the death of Emperor Augustus. The city had a regular rectangular shape and dimensions of 523 m x 435 m (23.2 ha). It was surrounded by a stone wall 6-8 m high, 2.5 m wide, with more than 20 towers and a double defensive moat from 3 directions. It was located at the present location of Mirje and Gradišče. The southern walls are still partially preserved along the Mirje road. The south gate was near the intersection of Mirje and Barjanska road. The eastern walls ran along today’s Emonska roadand Vegova road. The east gate was next to the French Revolution Square and led towards Siscia. The western wall ran along Snežniška Street, past Hrovatin’s Garden and the end was at the bend of Valvasor Street. Near Horovatin’s garden was the West Gate with the road to Aquileia. The northern wall ran from Valavasorjeva road, across the south side of Republic square, all the way to the University of Ljubljana. The northern gate was along today’s Slovenska cesta and led to Poetovia.

City

The place was part of region Roman Italia. The first settlers came from Italy mainly from the Po Valley. These were wealthy families with slaves and retired soldiers. The city is estimated to have about 5,000 inhabitants. The main road was in direction N-S (cardo maximum), 21 m wide. Perpendicular to the road in direction W-E. Next to them was a grid of smaller streets. Water was initially supplied from wells, and later with three water aqueducts (Šiška hill, Golovec). There was a system of heating and drainage of wastewater – sewers. Inside the city walls, there were 47 Insul (mostly residential buildings). In the central part, there was a forum (square) 64 m x 190 m around which were administrative buildings – east, temple – west, shops, and inns on the north and south sides. At the entrances to the city were cemeteries, one of the largest in the empire. In the time of prosperity, there was a suburb (with potters, port, and smelter, …) and settlements outside the walls (Ig, Pržanj, …).

History

• The first settlers came from the Roman Empire around 44 BC
• Emona was built in the years 14 and 15 AD
• The rise of the city in the 1st and first half of the 2nd century
• Beginning of the end, Macromanic wars 160-180 AD
• Maximin destroys Emono in 238 AD
• The Civil War of 314 AD
• Emona became a diocese in the 4th century
• Siege of the Goths – Alaric, 401 AD
• Huns finally demolish the city, the inhabitants emigrate at the beginning of the 6th century (Novigrad)
• The Ljubljana Basin was revived again with the arrival of the Slavs in 568 AD

Remains

Today, there are quite a few remnants from this period in the city. The best way to visit as many of them as possible is the Path through Roman Ljubljana. It is a circular path, about 2 kilometers long. In a bit more than an hour, you visit 10 locations with the remains of Emona. The price of the tour is 4 €, the ticket (map) is available at the City Museum and at individual points, you can access audio descriptions via QR. I suggest you start and end the trail at the museum, where the remains of an ancient road are in the basement. The points along the way and more:

• City Museum – remains of a Roman road in the basement and other artifacts (Gosposka 15)
• Roman fountain (Star Park, entrance to the garage house)
• Northern Emona Gate (Slovenska cesta)
• Emonec (replica at Star Park, original in the museum)
• iEmona – multimedia presentation in the underpass (underpass next to Slovenska)
• North wall (Ursuline monastery)
• Rotunda – early Christian church (Jakopič Gallery)
• Early Christian center (entrance from Erjavčeva, closed in winter)
• Roman sewer (Aškerčeva)
• Roman wall with Plečnik‘s pyramid (Mirje)
• Emona house (Mirje, entrance between houses, closed in winter)

Summary

Today, in Ljubljana, the Roman Emona is woven into the fabric of the city. If you have a good hour in Ljubljana, I suggest you visit the remains of ancient Emona. You can only see individual locations in conjunction with other attractions in the city. You can buy a ticket and walk to the points marked on the map. For those who are really enthusiastic, there is a guided tour, where you will be taken around Ljubljana in costumes from that time. All locations are in the city center, easily accessible, even for the disabled and children. I hope that on your next walk around the city, you will stop at one of the points and imagine what it was like in that place two millennia ago.

Emona (Colonia Ivlia Aemona) je bila naselbina Rimljanov na prostoru današnje Ljubljane. Ljubljanska kotlina je bila zanimiva iz strateškega vidika, povezovala je Jadran in srednjo Evropo ter naprej Baltik (Jantarna pot). Nahajala se je na križišču med Aquileo, Siscsio in Poetovio ter ob takrat plovni reki Ljubljanici. Rimljani so na današnje ozemlje Ljubljane verjetno prišli sredi prvega stoletja pred našim štetjem. Pod grajskim gričem so se naselili trgovci. V tem obdobju je bil vojaški tabor ob Karlovški cesti – Tribune. To je bila osnova, da so zgradili utrjeno naselje (castra) na levem bregu Ljubljanice.

Lega

Emona je bila zgrajena v letih 14. in 15. ravno v času smrti cesarja Avgusta. Mesto je imelo pravilno pravokotno obliko in dimenzije 523 m x 435 m (23,2 ha). Obdano je bilo s kamnitim obzidjem visokim 6-8 m, širokim 2,5 m, z več kot 20 stolpi in dvojnim obrambnim jarkom iz 3 smeri. Locirana je bila na današnji lokaciji Mirja in Gradišča. Južno obzidje je še danes delno ohranjeno ob cesti Mirje. Južna vrata so bila v bližini križišča Mirja in Barjanske ceste. Vzhodno obzidje je potekalo ob današnji Emonski cesti in Vegovi ulici. Vzhodna vrata so bila ob Trgu francoske revolucije in so vodila proti Siscii. Zahodno obzidje je potekalo ob Snežniški ulici, mimo Hrovatinovega vrta in zaključek je bil na ovinku Valvasorjeve ulice. V bližini Horovatinovega vrta so bila Zahodna vrata s cesto proti Aquilei. Severno obzidje je potekalo od Valavasorjeve ulice, preko južne strani Trga republike, vse do Ljubljanske univerze. Severna vrata so bila ob današnji Slovensku cesti in so vodila v Poetovio.

Mesto

Mesto je pripadalo Rimljanski Italiji. Prvi naseljenci so prišli iz Italije predvsem iz Padske nižine. To so bile premožne družine s sužnji in odsluženi vojaki. Mesto naj bi imelo okoli 5.000 prebivalcev. Glavna cesta je vodila v smeri S-J (cardo maximus) široka 21 m. Na njo je bila pravokotna cesta Z-V. Ob njih je bila mreža manjših ulic. Z vodo so se oskrbovali na začetku z vodnjaki, pozneje pa s tremi vodovodi (Šišenski hrib, Golovec). Obstajal je sistem ogrevanja in odtokov odpadne vode – kloaka. Znotraj obzidja je bilo 47 Insul (večinoma stanovanjskih objektov). V centralnem delu je bil forum (trg) 64 m x 190 m okoli katerega so bile upravne stavbe – vzhod, tempelj – zahod, trgovine in gostilne na severni in južni strani. Ob vpadnicah v mesto so bila grobišča, ena večjih v imperiju. V obdobju razcveta je obstajalo predmestje (S lončarji, V pristanišče in talilnica, …) in naselja zunaj obzidja (Ig, Pržanj, …).

Zgodovina

• Prva naseljenci pridejo iz Rimskega cesarstva okoli leta 44. pred našim štetjem
• Emono zgradijo v letu 14. in 15. našega štetja
• Vzpon mesta v 1. in prvi polovici 2. stoletja
• Začetek konca, makromanski vpadi 160-180
• Maximin poruši Emono 238. leta
• Državljanska vojna 314. leta
• Emona postane škofija v 4. stoletju
• Obleganje Z Gotov – Alarik, 401. leta
• Huni dokončno porušijo mesto, prebivalci se izselijo v začetku 6. stoletja (Novigrad)
• Ponovno ljubljanska kotlina oživi s prihodom Slovanov leta 568

Ostanki

Danes je v mestu kar nekaj ostankov iz tega obdobja. Najboljši način, da jih čim več obiščete je Pot po rimski Ljubljani. To je krožna pot, dolga okoli 2 kilometra. Tu v dobri uri obiščete 10 lokacij z ostanki Emone. Cena ture je 4 €, karto (zemljevid) dobite v Mestnem muzeju in na posamezni točki preko QR dostopate do audio opisov. Predlagam da pot začnete in končate pri muzeju, kjer so ostanki antične ceste v kletnih prostorih. V nadaljevanju navedene točke na poti in še kaj zraven:

• Mestni muzej – ostanki rimske ceste v kleti in ostali artefakti (Gosposka15)
• Rimski vodnjak (Park zvezda, vhod v garažno hišo)
• Severna emonska vrata (Slovenska cesta)
• Emonec (replika Park zvezda, original muzej)
• iEmona – multimedijska predstavitev v podhodu (podhod ob Slovenski)
• Severno obzidje (Uršulinski samostan)
• Rotunda – zgodnjekrščanska cerkev (Jakopičeva galerija)
• Zgodnjekrščansko središče (vhod z Erjavčeve, zaprto po zimi)
• Rimska kloaka (Aškerčeva)
• Rimski zid s Plečnikovo piramido (Mirje)
• Emonska hiša (Mirje, vhod med hišami, zaprto po zimi)

Povzetek

Danes je v Ljubljani rimska Emona vtkana v tkivo mesta. Če boste v Ljubljani imeli viška dobro uro vam predlagam obisk ostankov antične Emone. Lahko si ogledate samo posamične lokacije v povezavi s preostalimi znamenitostmi v mestu. Lahko kupite karto in se sprehodite do točk označenih na zemljevidu. Za tiste res navdušena pa obstaja voden ogled, kjer vas v kostumih iz tega časa popeljejo po Ljubljani. Vse lokacije so v centru mesta, enostavno dostopne, tudi za invalide in otroke. Upam, da se boste ob naslednjem sprehodu po mestu ustavili na kateri izmed točk in si predstavljali kako je bilo na tem mestu pred dvema milenijema.