Roman Road Kurtovići–Klapavice, Klis and Dugopolje

On the border between Klis and Dugopolje, in Split-Dalmatia County, a section of the Roman road that connected Salona with the interior of Dalmatia has been preserved. The site is of interest to those who want to see how people travelled through this area in antiquity.

The protected section is about two kilometres long and runs through the Klapavice-Kurtovići area, across the Dugopolje plateau. According to the description in the Register, the road was built in the first decade of the 1st century by the imperial governor Publius Cornelius Dolabella, and it was the first road built in this area. The reason for its construction was mainly military: it was necessary to remove as quickly as possible the consequences of the great Illyrian revolt led by Bato and to establish Roman rule in the hinterland of Dalmatia. The road remained in use until the 7th century, and during that period it was often repaired and extended with side routes.

The archaeological site of the Roman road is a protected cultural property. It is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6594, and is dated from the 1st to the 7th century.

Photo: Argo Navis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).