Doclea (town)

Illyrian and Roman city Doclea

City of Doclea in the 4th century

Doclea (also Dioclea or Diocleia) was a Roman town, the seat of the Late Roman province of Praevalitana. The town was situated ca. 3 km north from present-day Podgorica, Montenegro's capital. The Romanized Illyrian tribe known as Docleatae that inhabited the area derived their name from the city.^[1] It was the largest settlement of the Docleatae, founded in the first decade of the 1st century AD. Doclea was built to conform to the terrain. It was a large town with 8–10,000 inhabitants. The surrounding area had a relatively high population density within a radius of 10 km due to the city's geographical position, a favorable climate, positive economic conditions and defensive site that were of great importance at that time. After the administrative division of the Roman Empire in 297, Doclea became the capital of the newly established province, Praevalitana. In the 4th and the 5th centuries, it was taken by the barbarian tribes and went into decline. At the beginning of the 5th century, it was attacked by the Visigoths. A severe earthquake destroyed it in 518. The South Slavs proceeded to rebuild the settlement in the 7th century. The historical ruins of the town can be seen today.

Aerial view of city

See also

• List of ancient cities in Illyria

References

1. A Stipcevic (1977). The Illyrians. History and Culture. Noyes Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-8155-5052-9.

Koprivica T. Sacral Topography of Late Antique and Early Christian Doclea (Montenegro): the First Modern Preliminary Investigation. //Актуальные проблемы теории и истории искусства: сб. науч. статей. Вып. 2 . Под ред. А.В.Захаровой— Санкт-Петербург: НП-Принт — 2012. — с.314-320 ISBN 978-5-91542-185-0

Coordinates: 42°28′05″N 19°15′56″E / 42.468108°N 19.265639°E