Velebit in Roman times

Velebit Area in Roman Times

Velebit in Roman times, this area came under the Roman rule in the second half of the 1st century B.C. After Octavian’s expeditions against the Iapodes and the neighbouring peoples. This is when its gradual integration into the Roman provincial structure began. On the sites of older prehistoric settlements on the coastal slopes of Velebit important urban centres developed, such as Senija (Senia, Senj), Lopsika (Lopsica, Sveti Juraj), Ortopla (Ortopla, probably Stinica) and Vegij (Vegium, Karlobag). These towns partly owed their development to their location at the foot of mountain passes that provided good transport links with the inland regions. Soon, roads were built along older, prehistoric communications leading across the mountain to the natural interior of these towns.

The roads lead to smaller or larger Roman settlements in the Lika region. Ruins of settlements dating back to the ancient period are also found in the foothills of Velebit (e.g. in Vratnik, Krasno, Kosinjska Dolina, Ličko Polje etc.). The foothill towns thus became true transport hubs where the routes from the Apennine Peninsula towards Dalmatia, Albania, Greece, Asia Minor and those leading towards the north (Noricum, Pannonia) converged and branched off. The coastal centres were important mostly for exploitation of the wood resources of the Velebit forests (and, to a lesser extent, ore resources) and their transport by sea to other parts of the province and the Empire.