The Roman military camp at Gračine (Ljubuški) – Domitian’s Hiberna, has been a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2003. Archaeological research, conducted under the supervision of archaeologist Mirko Rašić, PhD in 2023 led to a new discovery. A building inscription was found confirming a strong military presence in the province of Dalmatia during the reign of Emperor Domitian. The inscription was found as a “spolium” (part of an older building used as construction material for a new one), divided into two parts and embedded in the foundation of the western semicircular wall of the defensive tower. The 119 x 70 x 17 cm tablet is made of local limestone and has the shape of a “tabula ansata” (an ancient form of inscription tablet). Relief depictions of an eagle and a winged lion with a floral motif between them are located on the left side, in the corners. On the opposite side, eagle claws are preserved, suggesting that the relief is mirrored. In the discovered inscription, Domitian is mentioned as the patron of the construction; the letter size in the first nine lines is 3.5 to 5 cm, and 2.5 cm in the last line.
Domitian - Titus Flavius Domitianus (October 24, 51, Rome - September 18, 96, Rome) was a Roman emperor who improved the economy, built roads, rebuilt Rome devastated by fires, and supported artists. He was assassinated when he began to deal ruthlessly with the aristocracy and persecute Christians. The Senate pronounced “damnatio memoriae” upon him – a condemnation to posthumous obliteration, destruction of his statues, and erasure of his name from all monuments.
(Željka Šaravanja)
