Multidisciplinary research into the topography and landscape of Roman Rider (Danilo, Šibenik, Croatia) – first results of the excavations near St. Daniel’s church and new data on the medieval cemetery at Šematorij site

Kamil Rabiega; Ana Konestra; Željko Krnčević; Toni Brajković

doi:10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.21

Published: 2025-11-17

Vol. 32 No. 2 (2025)

Multidisciplinary research into the topography and landscape of Roman Rider (Danilo, Šibenik, Croatia) – first results of the excavations near St. Daniel’s church and new data on the medieval cemetery at Šematorij site

Kamil Rabiega

, Ana Konestra

, Željko Krnčević

, Toni Brajković

Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings

Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły

https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.21

Abstract

The village of Danilo, located in the southern part of Šibenik-Knin County, is known for several archaeological sites where research is conducted since 1951. Among these, at the location Šematorij/Stari Šematorij the remains of a large Roman building (villa?) and thermae dating back to the 1st or early 2nd century were discovered. The ancient roots of the village are evidenced by inscriptions mentioning the Roman city of Rider (Municipium Riditarum), founded in the second half of the 1st century. Near the 18th-century church of St. Daniel, archaeologists have been finding numerous architectural elements and decorations from the interior of a monumental Roman building for years, but the precise location of it were unknown until recently. The conducted geophysical research, analysis of LiDAR data and archaeological excavations suggest that the area currently occupied by the church and the extensive cemetery might conceals the remains of the ancient center of the Roman town of Rider.

Keywords:

Danilo, Municipium Riditarum, Šematorij, cemetery, jewellery

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Rabiega, K., Konestra, A., Krnčević, Željko, & Brajković, T. (2025). Multidisciplinary research into the topography and landscape of Roman Rider (Danilo, Šibenik, Croatia) – first results of the excavations near St. Daniel’s church and new data on the medieval cemetery at Šematorij site. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 32(2), 280–297. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.21

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Kamil Rabiega

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0428-4237

Affiliation:

Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Kamil Rabiega, PhD, assistant professor at the Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. His research interests include settlement and trade in late antiquity and early Middle Ages, historical architecture and modern methods of documentation and presentation of archaeological sites.

Ana Konestra

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7726-6515

Affiliation:

Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb Croatia

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Ana Konestra, PhD, research associate at the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, Croatia. Her main research interests are Roman and late antique archaeology of the eastern Adriatic and pottery studies.

Željko Krnčević

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5358-5944

Affiliation:

Šibenik City Museum Croatia

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Željko Krnčević, MSc, Former director of the Šibenik City Museum and curator of Medieval archaeology collection. His research interests are Medieval archaeology, time of arrival of Croats, time of Principality and Kingdom of Croatia.

Toni Brajković

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2303-6933

Affiliation:

Šibenik City Museum Croatia

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Toni Brajković, Director of the Šibenik City Museum and curator of Roman archaeology collection. His research interests are Roman epigraphy, Roman numismatics, mythology, eastern Adriatic trade connections in the Roman period.