Nesactium

Nesactium, Histrian vase

Ruins of Nesactium

Nesactium (Istrian dialect: Vizače, Croatian: Nezakcij, Italian: Nesazio) was an ancient fortified town of the Histrii tribe. Its ruins are located in southern Istria, Croatia, between the village of Muntić and Valtura.

History

In pre-Roman times Nesactium with his legendary king Epulon, was the capital of the tribal population of the peninsula called Histri, connected also to the prehistoric Castellieri culture. There are some theories stating their later Celtic influence, but who they were and where they came from has never been discovered for certain. Supposedly their main economic activities were trade and piracy all over the ancient Mediterranean Sea. All indicates they were a particular ethnical group, such as Etruscans in nearest Italy. Still today they was wrongly mentioned as a part of illyrians.

In 177 BC the town was conquered by the Romans and destroyed. Rebuilt upon the original Histrian pattern, it was a Roman town until the 46-45 BC, when the ancient Greek colonies Polai was elevated to Pietas Iulia, today Pula. The town was crossed by the ancient Via Flavia, which connected Triest to Dalmatia. Its Histro-Roman walls still remain.

External links

• Histrian and Nesactium
• Neolithic Nesactium Hillfort
• Between the village of Muntic and Valtura

Coordinates: 44°55′0″N 13°58′11″E / 44.916667°N 13.96972°E / 44.916667; 13.96972