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Aquileia was founded as a Latin colony by the Romans in 181 A.D.. It is situated only a few kilometres from the sea, on the shore of the big river Natisone Torre, which at the time flowed through the region and was navigable from the city to the sea. The city was mainly founded out of military reasons.
It was the time when Rome spread throughout the northern part of Italy after the conquest of the entire peninsula: Aquileia was the basis of the operation against the Corinthian population, who was living alongside the Alpine region, and finally became the basis of the entire Roman penetration in the province Illyrium, Dalmatia and Pannonia. Also after the penetration it still was the starting point for distant military operations and the hibernating place for the legions.
At the beginning the empire enjoyed a long peaceful period, during which the city became very rich and populated: it is estimated that it had between 70.000 and 100.000 inhabitants during its best times and therefore was the biggest city of northern Italy, until it was excelled by Milan. During the early Christian period the city was the centre of the new faith and art. At the time of the Barbaric invasions, Aquileia had again a military bastion function in eastern Italy as is shown by the city’s ancient founts and many curtain walls. During the patriarchal time, above all during the 11th and 14th century, it had again moments of great splendour being the political centre of a big ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Many of the city’s elements are famous and some of them are still to be seen thanks to a criterion for the conservation of the ruins, which has been existing for over fifty years. Unfortunately, only few archaeological remains of Aquileia have survived. Battlements are to be seen in the southern and eastern parts of the city.
The river harbour has a frontal side of more than 300 m with embankments, stairs, and a warehouse. Fortifications were also built at the harbour embankments.
The forum is situated in the city centre. The beautiful portico has survived and currently the whole area is being excavated.
South of the forum is the basilica, which has lately been excavated and along which a big street, a crossroad, is leading. According to an inscription, one of Aratria Galla’s testament wishes was the street’s flooring.
Also the big thermal baths (currently not open to the public) full of late ancient mosaics, which are momentarily to be seen in the museum, are being excavated. The “Sepolcreto” is a beautiful feature of the “via sepolcrale”, which is flanked by monumental family graves. They are important to understand the meaning of the rites of the antiquity.
In the city centre there are also two Roman housing areas with mosaics and early Christian oratorios, also decorated with mosaics.