Justiniana Prima
Ancient city · Serbia
- Abandoned
- 1700
- Founded
- —
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 42.952, 21.670
Why it was abandoned
🏛️ Ancient ruins
Detected automatically from the text: ancient city in Serbia
History
Justiniana Prima was an Eastern Roman city that existed from 535 to 615 CE, near modern Lebane in the Leskovac region, Serbia. It is currently an archaeological site. Founded by Emperor Justinian I (527-565), it was the metropolitan seat of the newly founded Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima, which became the main church administrative body of the central Dardania with jurisdiction from Praevalitana to Dacia Ripensis. Justinian Prima was originally designed to become the capital of the prefecture of Illyricum, but for reasons likely related with its status near the Roman frontiers of the 6th century CE, Thessaloniki was preferred. It was abandoned less than 100 years after its foundation.