Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
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How it came to be
Aquileia was founded by Rome in 181 BC as a Latin colony in the northeast of the Po plain, on the Natiso river. It began as a frontier post against Gallic and Istrian peoples and grew into a trading town between central Europe and the Mediterranean. It was the southern end of the Amber Road, and in 90 BC its citizens received full Roman citizenship.
After the Edict of Milan in 313, Bishop Theodorus built a basilica. In 452 the Huns under Attila sacked the city, and the survivors gathered in a much smaller settlement around the basilica. Rebuilding began in the 9th century under Bishop Maxentius, and the basilica was completed in 1031 under Patriarch Poppo, together with a 73 m bell tower built of stone from the amphitheatre.
In 1909 a 4th-century mosaic floor measuring 37 m by 20 m was uncovered beneath an 11th-century floor, with panels showing fishermen and the story of Jonah. Most of the Roman city still lies under the modern town and farmland. The archaeological area and the basilica were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1998.
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