site, known as Constantine’s Villa, which is why archaeologists presume that the baths belonged to none oth- er than Roman emperor Constan- tine the Great and his successors. Visitors can also see what Em- peror Constantine’s 4 th century sum- mer residence looked like, what kind of floor mosaics were enjoyed by this Roman emperor and his reti- nue, what the underfloor heating was like. The site has fantastic mo- saic floors covering as much as 1,000 square metres... Justiniana Prima The city of Justiniana Prima lies on the gentle slopes that stretch from the mountain of Radan to the Leskovac high valley, in a place that’s not on the main transport routes. Surrounded by walls, its core consists of three parts: the Acropolis and the Upper and the Lower towns. A basilica and arch- bishop’s palace were built on the Acropolis, which was the first to be built. Behind the church is a large swimming pool carved in stone, to which an aqueduct led from Pet- rova Gora. Below this complex is a circular forum on which a mon- umental gilded statue of Justini- an was mounted. The fortified city covers a length of over 500 metres and the urban core which is connected by a wide substructure and monuments in the nearer and further surround- ings. This imperial city represents an exceptional monument to an- cient urbanism and architecture. The remains of basilicas and aque- ducts, as well as streets with col- onnades, make the Roman city of Justiniana Prima one of the most interesting ancient sites in the Bal- kans. The city itself, which is char- acterised by a rich heritage of an- tique and Christian architecture, was built by Emperor Justinian I in the 6 th century. This spot is an ideal place to end the story of the Roman emperors, because it is both the southernmost and the last landmark to be constructed in the period when the Romans ruled these lands.
Justinijana Prima Grad Justinijana Prima leži na blagim padinama od planine Radan ka leskovačkoj kotlini, na mestu van glavnih putnih tokova. Opasan je zidinama, a jezgro je sačinjeno od tri celine: Akropolja, Gornjeg i Donjeg grada. Na Akropolju, koji je prvi sagrađen, podignuti su ba- zilika i arhiepiskopska palata. Iza crkve je veliki bazen uklesan u ka- menu, do kojeg je vodio akvadukt sa Petrove gore. Ispod ovog kom- pleksa je kružni forum na kojem je bio postavljen monumetalni po- zlaćeni kip Justinijana. Utvrđeni grad dug je više od 500 metara, a na urbano jezgro nadovezuju se široko podgrađe i spomenici u bližoj i daljoj okolini. Caričin grad predstavlja vanredan spomenik antičkog urbanizma i ar- hitekture. Ostaci bazilika i akva- dukta, kao i ulica s kolonadama, čine rimski grad Justinijana Pri- ma jednim od najzanimljivijih an- tičkih lokaliteta na Balkanu. Grad koji karakteriše bogato nasleđe an- tičke i hrišćanske arhitekture iz- gradio je imperator Justinijan Pr- vi u 6. veku. Ovo mesto je idealno da se završi priča o rimskim care- vima jer je u isto vreme i najjuž- nija i najkasnije izgrađena zname- nitost iz perioda kada su Rimljani vladali ovim prostorima.
Car Justinijan Prvi, koji je potekao sa juga Srbije, odlučio je da u rodnom kraju podigne grad koji će veličati njegovo ime Emperor Justinian I, who originated in the area today occupied by the south of Serbia, decided to build the city that would glorify his name in his homeland
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