The relation between necropolises and settlements in Roman Liburnia

Since the beginning of recorded history, graves have spanned near the houses and roads, and during the construction of any planned urban or rural settlement an area where deceased would have had their eternal rest had to be planned as well. In the past, i.e. in the Roman period, just as it is today, the area of the necropolis was intrinsically connected to the settlement, which defined the development of an entire urban and rural territory, and the cult of the dead was cherished among the living, which strengthened the connection between the "city of the living" and the "city of the dead". The unbreakable bond between the settlement and necropolis has been attested throughout the territory of Liburnia. The growth of the settlement and its related necropolis reflected the prosperity of the community, and the finds in the necropolis reflected the wealth and status of an individual. As a result, the similarities between the settlement and necropolis could be sensed both in sepulchral constructions, which imitated the everyday house, and in the organisation of the necropolis, which mirrored the inner symmetry of the settlement. Furthermore, the continuity of settlements and necropolises, both rural and urban, as well as complex processes which determined the development, growth and final abandonment of the necropolis are also discussed in this paper.