Page 33 - Osor v fokusu znanosti

Urban and Administrative Transformations
on the Eastern Adriatic: The Case of Absorus

Feđa Milivojević 2025
Invited Lecture
November

Abstract The ancient settlement of Absorus (today’s Osor on the island of
Cres) is an important but often overlooked example of urban development
and the integration of local communities in the eastern Adriatic during the 4–5
early Imperial Period. The question of municipal status under Tiberius re-
mains particularly complex: reliable evidence comes only from a small num- Koper,
ber of inscriptions, the interpretation of which varies widely among scholars,
ranging from strong claims of early so-called Romanisation to more cautious •
readings. This paper offers a new interpretation of the epigraphic evidence,
focusing on the socio-political background and the implications for under- Spotlight
standing local processes of municipalisation. The discussion also situates Ab-
sorus within the broader spatial changes of the early Imperial Period: the in-
teraction between the urban centre and its rural hinterland, the dynamics
of local elite participation in Roman institutions, and the position of the city
within the wider network of coastal settlements in the province. Scientific

Keywords Osor, eastern Adriatic, municipalisation, epigraphy, tribus Clau-
dia the
in
Osor

© 2025 Author(s) 33