Professional paper
A tribute to the discussion of the legal status of Issa in the Roman era
Bruno Bijađija
; Zadar, Hrvatska
Abstract
The paper discusses the municipal status of Issa in the Roman era. Many authors have dealt with this issue so far, yet it has remained unsolved even today. Some authors hold that Issa used to enjoy municipal right, while others believe that it had come under the jurisdiction of Salona. The paper encompasses the period ranging from the initial contact between Issa and Rome to Issa’s position in the Province of Illyricum, and later in the Province of Dalmatia. From the aspect of historical events, urban planning, historical sources and epigraphy, it has been attempted to explain the legal status of Issa in the Roman era.
According to the available data, it seems that in mid 1st century B.C., Issa had no longer been a free polis – it became an integral part of the Province of Illyricum. Historical sources, architecture, epigraphic material and economy reveal that Issa had continued to exist during the imperial era. The majority of the inhabitants of the Roman Issa had Latin names, while the Greek onomastics was almost entirely unknown. The terms oppidum, civium Romanorum and res publicae are mentioned in connection with Issa, yet none of them may be brought into relation with the municipal independence thereof. The inscription on the sarcophagus of Albucius’s family of Salona mentions decurions of both Issa and Salona. It is evident from the inscription that the two toponyms were treated separately, yet the question remains whether it was the same in practice. Tradition, economy and urban planning during the early principate speak in support of the municipal independence of Issa. However, as no inscription that would mention city officials of Issa has so far been found on the island of Vis, the problem of its independence remains unsolved.
Keywords
Issa; imperial cult; Albucius’s sarcophagus; municipium; prefecture
Hrčak ID:
148883
URI
Publication date:
2.12.2015.
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