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Boundary stoneThe stone delimiting the administrative territories of Aquileia and Emona
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Boundary stone

The stone delimiting the administrative territories of Aquileia and Emona testifies that Emona was part of Italy and not the Illyrian and Pannonia provinces


Founded in 818 BC, Aquileia was the oldest city whose administrative territories extended to the territory of modern-day Slovenia, and the town of Emona (today’s Ljubljana) was established in the second decade AD at the latest. Comparison with other Roman boundary stones suggests that both towns shared an equal legal status and they both belonged to the same administrative unit, in this case Italy and not Illyricum, or, later, the Pannonia province. 

The boundary stone was discovered in the bed of the Ljubljanica River below Bevke. On the boundary, it was fixed about one metre deep in the earth next to the river bank. The upper part, 30 cm high and smoothly polished, of the boundary has three inscriptions: FINIS (delimitating line) on the upper panel and AQVILEIENSIVM ([territory] of Aquileia) and EMONENSIVM ([territory] of Emona) on either side.
Object: Boundary stone marking the borders of the territories of Aquileia and Emona 
Description: The stone delimiting the administrative territories of Aquileia and Emona testifies that Emona was part of Italy and not the Illyrian and Pannonia provinces. 
Date/Period: Last third of the first century BC – 1st decades of the first century AD
Material: Aurisina/Nabrežina limestone 
Dimensions: Height: 130 cm
Findspot: Ljubljanica river at Bevke (unidentified pile dwellings near Ig)
Inv. No.: L 204

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Further reading

  • Marjeta Šašel Kos: The boundary stone between Aquileia and Emona. Arheološki vestnik 53, Ljubljana 2002, pp. 373–382 (summary in English).
  • Janka Istenič: Roman Stories from the Crossroads. Exhibition catalogue. Ljubljana 2015, pp. 48–49.