Burnum
Where it is
Burnum is one of Croatia’s most significant archaeological sites, situated along the Krka River valley within the Krka National Park, one of the country’s most visited natural areas. The site occupies an area of outstanding natural beauty, where the waters of the Krka flow through rocky canyons and Mediterranean vegetation. It is precisely this privileged location, within a protected environment frequented by visitors from all over the world, that has made it all the more urgent to combine archaeological research with landscape conservation and the promotion of cultural heritage for the benefit of a wide and diverse public.
A brief history of the site
The first documented mention of the ruins at Burnum dates back to 1774, thanks to the work of Abbot Alberto Fortis, who described the remains still visible on site. The ruins were already marked on maps and the site must have been known as a place of ancient architectural remains, but it remained largely overlooked by the academic world for a long time. It was only after Fortis’s publication that scholars began to take an interest in Burnum: in the second half of the nineteenth century, figures such as Š. Ljubić, Don F. Bulić, L. Marun and T. Mommsen initiated the first systematic research.
The first proper archaeological investigation was undertaken by the Vienna Archaeological Institute, which brought to light two buildings interpreted as military structures of a castrum. Research was interrupted by the world wars and resumed only in 1973, with a mission led by M. Kandler, whose findings confirmed the site’s military nature and suggested the existence of a forum complex with a basilica.
Burnum was thus founded as a Roman legionary camp, established in the 1st century AD to maintain military control over the province of Dalmatia. Over time, the permanent presence of the legions fostered the development of a civilian centre: the castrum gradually transformed into a municipium, featuring monumental public structures such as the forum basilica, of which the imposing arches still stand, and an amphitheatre, partially unearthed by more recent excavations. Thanks to the Burnum Project, launched by the University of Bologna in 2005, it has been possible to systematically reconstruct this complex evolution from a military settlement to a Roman urban community, restoring legibility to a site whose ancient structures still lie largely underground.
The activities of the University of Bologna
Since 2005, the Department of History, Culture and Civilisation at the University of Bologna has been conducting scientific research on Burnum in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology at the University of Zadar and with the support of Krka National Park. From the outset, the research team opted to prioritise non-invasive methodologies (geophysical surveying, aerial photography, satellite remote sensing and multispectral image analysis) to gather as much information as possible about the site without altering the landscape. These tools have made it possible to reconstruct the layout of the settlement, understand its extent and trace the road networks that connected it to the rest of the Empire.
Alongside field research, the project has always placed great emphasis on communicating its findings. Over the years, multilingual popular science books have been published, accessible to non-specialist readers, and three-dimensional reconstructions and multimedia products have been developed that allow Burnum to be visualised as it appeared in Roman times. The most recent initiative involves the creation of 3D digital models of the amphitheatre, intended for a video documentary that will trace its construction history. This approach makes the Burnum Project a prime example of contemporary archaeology capable of combining scientific rigour, innovative technologies and a commitment to sharing with the community.