Page 39 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

39

Figure 4: Ribnica near Brežice, western necropolis, Grave 1 (photo: Franci Aš)
a demanding construction undertaking. Initial- vated in a narrow strip south of the Emona–Sis-
ly, these units were involved in Octavian's war in cia road (Petru 1969, 21). In the Eastern ceme-
Illyricum (35–33 BC), then during Tiberius' op- tery, 41 graves, 5 of which were inhumations, one House Urns in the Burial Practices of the Western Necropolis of Romula
eration in Illyricum between 15 and 9 BC, and grave plot, and one built tomb were unearthed.
finally during the Pannonian-Dalmatian rebel- They belong to the period from the early first
lion in the years between 6 and 9 AD (Loven- century to the beginning of the third century.
jak 1997, 90). The Western cemetery, near the village of
The Roman road Emona–Neviodunum– Podgračeno, was excavated between 2002 and
Siscia route was first confirmed by archaeolog- 2004, stretching along the Roman road on its
ical research in 1958 when the Eastern Romula north side. A strip up to 1.50 m wide separated
necropolis was discovered, which lay in a narrow the western cemetery from the Emona-Neviodu-
strip along the road (Petru 1969). During the num-Siscia road, eventually covered by road fill.
2001–2004 excavations, the route of the road The surveyed area where the burials were locat-
was again documented in several places, which ed was 336 m long, with a maximum width of up
enabled the reconstruction of its course through to 16 m, but most of the burials, including the
the entire settlement (Figure 1) (Tomaž, Lazar, four burial plots, were spread along a length of
and Breščak, forthcoming). 99m. The orientation of all the graves more or
less respected the course of the road. A total of
The Cemeteries 131 graves were discovered, 99 of which were cre-
The Eastern Necropolis (researched 1958–1960) mation graves, 2 were cremation graves with the
lay east of the settlement and was partially exca- addition of uncremated teeth, 20 graves were