Kristina DŽIN
(Archaeological museum of Istria, Pula, Croatia)
Systematic archeological research conducted in 2006, provided new information in the study of the continuity of life in the Roman town Colonia Iulia Pola. The availability of terrain determined the size of Roman Forum, which is 81 m long and 37,5 m wide on the north side, that is, 35 m on the south. Therefore, its dimensions are obviously not congruous with the traditional rule where the side ratio is 2:3. Next to the forum in Zadar (1:2), Pula forum (1:2,2) is the most elongated among all known forums in Roman towns in Croatian area.
Forum was built on an earlier market in the 1st century BC, and until 4th century AD, it underwent a number of alterations. During the Late Roman period and the Middle Ages it served as town square that diminished with time. During systematic archeological researches of the forum on the Municipium Nesactium site, carried out since 2002, equilateral quadrangular forum with Capitolian Triad was unearthed, together with adjacent objects of so far unidentified purpose.
There were many speculations about the existence of the Nesactium Forum, and this research helped to finally prove it. Even during the 1981 and 1981 excavations (V.Girardi-Jurkic), two bases of peristyle columns with part of outlet precipitation-water canals have been found, while the more recent researches confirmed the existence of the peristyle.