RODIK-AJDOVŠČINA
B. SLAPŠAK
F ilo zo fska fa ku lteta , L ju b lja n a
T ria n g u la tio n p o in t 804 m above th e village o f R o d ik n e a r K ozina, th e h ig h ­
e s t p o in t on th e w e ste rn edge of B rk in i, above th e s tre tc h o f lan d b etw e en 
th e D ivača a n d K ozina c ro ssro a d s, looking d o w n o v er b o th c ro ssro a d s an d 
c o m m a n d in g a view o f th e Slovene I s tria n to w n s, as w ell as G rad o an d 
A quileia. T he a re a is m e n tio n e d as a p re h is to ric se ttle m e n t by C. M a rc h ese tti, 
I c a s te llie r i (1903) 79 (also R o m an finds) ; th e re m a in s of a (R om an) w all an d 
of o th e r b u ild in g s a re d e sc rib e d in N o v ic e (1859) 273, by M. Sila, T r s t in o k o lic a 
(T rie ste a n d its su rro u n d in g s) (1882) 42 an d b y S. R u ta r I z v e s tja m u z e js k e g a 
d r u š tv a 5 (1895), 214. T h ese a u th o rs, a n d local re se a rc h e rs, co n sid er th e site as 
th e c e n tre (or seat) of th e R u n d ic te s trib e (on th e b a sis of C IL 5, 698 a n d th e 
c o n tin u ity of th e n am e R u n d ic te s — R odik). A sim ila r opinion w as h e ld by A. 
D egrassi, I l c o n fin e n o r d o r ie n ta le d e ll’Ita lia R o m a n a (1954) 189 an d b y o th e r 
re se a rc h e s a fte r him , c. f. B. S lap šak A V 28 (1977) 122. T he R om an ro a d (C IL 5, 
698) is p ro b a b ly th e “R o m an ro a d ” w h o se p re se n c e ca n b e reliab ly tra c e d along 
a lin e (Lokev— K ačiče— R o d ik — S lope— above B rezovica—M aterija). At th e 
h ig h e st p o in t b etw e en R o d ik a n d S lope a “R o m an w a y ” b ra n c h e s off a n d leads 
evenly u p th e leeside of th e slo p e over Č uk (Jezero — a n artificially c o n s tru c te d 
c a tc h m e n t a t th e su m m it; in te re stin g o ra l tra d itio n ) to A jdovščina. T h e se ttle ­
m e n t is o f a p re h isto ric ty p e (a h illfo rt), as se en fro m its exposed p o sitio n , its 
p la n — follow ing th e c o n to u rs of th e h illto p — , th e m assiv en ess of th e re m a in s 
o f th e w alls a n d th e c o n s tru c tio n of th e e n tra n c e ; p re h isto ric a rte fa c ts a re 
m e n tio n e d by M a rc h ese tti. A long th e lin e of th e a n c ie n t fo rts, ru in s p o in t to 
re n e w e d fo rtific a tio n d u rin g th e la te R om an p e rio d — th e d a te to w h ic h th e 
o th e r re m a in s o f th e s e ttle m e n t belong — w ith to w e rs a t th e gates a n d in sid e 
th e e a s te rn w alls. The in sid e is criss-cro ssed w ith fallen w alls w hich, w h en 
tra c e d o v e r a relief m a p o f th e area, p e rm it a ro u g h p ic tu re o f th e s e ttle m e n t 
d u rin g its la st p h a se (late R om an). A so u n d in g m a d e by th e arch aeo lo g y d e­
p a r tm e n t of th e U n iv ersity of L ju b lja n a a t a sh e lte re d p o in t ju s t b elo w th e 
s u m m it esta b lish e d th e ex isten ce of tw o sta g es o f building, b u t in d iffe re n t 
alig n m e n ts. T he e a rlie r c a n n o t yet b e d a te d w ith c e rta in ty (1st— 2nd c e n tu ry ?) 
b u t th e la te r o n e is w ell a u th e n tic a te d w ith co in s fro m C o n stan tin e I I to 
T h eo d o siu s in th e s tra ta , a n d w ith ty p ic al fin d s ; th e a rc h ite c tu re fo u n d so fa r 
is in te re stin g , fin ish in g o n th e n o rth e rn side in a n apse, w ith th e ty p ic al p la n 
of a la rg e r p a r t o f a circle. T he to p o g rap h y o f th e im m ed ia te vicinity e n a b le d 
us to d e te rm in e a n e tw o rk o f c o m m u n ic atio n s, p ro b ab ly a ce m e tery a n d 
R o m an villages o r villas in th e valley. A t th e p r e s e n t tim e th e re a re n o fin d s 
w h ic h w o u ld d a te th e s e ttle m e n t la te r th a n th e m id-5th ce n tu ry , alth o u g h th is 
s ite w o u ld have b een a n ex cellen t v an tag e p o in t o v er th e n o rth e rn e n try in to 
Is tr ia . F o r th e tim e b ein g it a p p e a rs th a t th e tim e-sp an of th e la st p e rio d 
o v e rla p s th e final p e rio d o f th e C lau stra in the E a s te r n Alps.

Q u estio n s p o se d b y th e w o rk o n R o d ik -A jd o v ščin a re fe r to th e life in th e 
im m e d ia te h in te rla n d o f th e C la u stra o n te r r ito r y w h ich stra te g ic a lly fo rm s 
a lo g ical co m p o n e n t o f th e fo rtific a tio n sy stem . A v an tag e p o in t o v erlo o k in g 
tw o c ro ssro a d s is of m ilita ry in te re s t, a t all e v e n ts. If w e exclude th e p o ssib ility 
of its b ein g a p u re ly m ilita ry fo rtific a tio n , th e re re m a in s th e p ro b le m o f th e 
re la tio n s h ip b e tw e e n th e m ilita ry a n d o th e r a s p e c ts o f life a t th e se ttle m e n t; 
th is is o n e of th e b asic q u e s tio n s of la te R o m an o rg a n isa tio n of th e d efen ce of 
th e e m p ire , a n d la te R o m a n life in g en e ral, e sp ec ially in th e Ju lia n A lps.
Rodik-Ajdovščina, sonda 1975 z juga — 
R o d ik-A jd o vščin a , exca va tio n s 1975, the 
v ie w fr o m th e so u th