Dendroarchaeology In Sisak, Croatia (Siscia): Roman Urbanism And Colonia Status

Abstract

Sisak, Croatia (Siscia) served an important role in the Roman Empire as a military base for further conquest of the Pannonian region under Augustus and Tiberius, and later as a major industrial and economic center. Dendrochronological evidence from Sisak sheds light on urbanism in the city during and after the granting of colonia status in the first century CE. Wood collected from various areas at the site has been dated relatively using dendrochronology and absolutely from 160 BCE to 204 +/- 11 CE using radiocarbon wiggle-match dating. The chronology shows an increase in growth directly following the granting of colonia status to the city under Vespasian, and thus offers us a glimpse into an important period of Romanization in the early expansion of the empire into the Save river valley toward the Danube.