Geophysical survey of the Burnum archaeological site, Croatia

The Burnum Project, initiated in 2005, was conducted to learn more about the buried remains of the Roman settlement of Burnum, located in the Krka River Valley of central Croatia and to help with preservation issues. The project used geomagnetic, ground‐penetrating radar and resistivity methods to produce images of the urban area of the site, of which nothing, with the exception of the remains of two arches of the basilica’s forum, was known before. In order to obtain a synthesis of as many physical aspects of the buried remains as possible, different datasets were processed and managed using a GIS platform. The geophysical data were integrated with information about the architectural features still visible on the surface, which has allowed the production of images of the urban area as a whole. The results show that this site was a pre‐Roman military outpost, which became a fortified camp (castrum), after the creation of the Roman province of Illyricum (32–27 BC), which was transformed into a fully municipal town (municipium) during the second century, keeping important administrative as well as military functions until the Late Roman Age.