Editing Kosovo (section)

==== Roman period ====
{{See also|Roman heritage in Kosovo}}

During Roman rule, Kosovo was part of two provinces, with its western part being part of [[Praevalitana]], and the vast majority of its modern territory belonging to [[Dardania (Roman province)|Dardania]]. Praevalitana and the rest of Illyria was conquered by the [[Roman Republic]] in 168 BC. On the other hand, Dardania maintained its independence until the year 28 BC, when the Romans, under [[Augustus]], annexed it into their Republic.<ref>{{cite book|last=Errington|first=Robert Malcolm|author-link=Robert Malcolm Errington|title=A History of Macedonia |location=Berkeley|publisher=University of California Press|year=1990|translator=Catherine Errington|isbn=978-0-520-06319-8|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_PYgkqP_s1PQC |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=PYgkqP_s1PQC&pg=PA185 185]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9OIvQEACAAJ |title=A History of Macedonia: 336-167 B.C. |last=Hammond |first=N.G.L. |date=1988 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0-19-814815-1 |page=253 }}</ref> Dardania eventually became a part of the [[Moesia]] province.<ref>{{cite book|title=Starinar|volume=45–47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZYxpAAAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Arheološki institut|page=33}}</ref> During the reign of [[Diocletian]], Dardania became a full [[Dardania (Roman province)|Roman province]] and the entirety of Kosovo's modern territory became a part of the [[Diocese of Moesia]], and then during the second half of the 4th century, it became part of the [[Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Roisman|first=Joseph|chapter=Classical Macedonia to Perdiccas III|title=A Companion to Ancient Macedonia|pages=145–165|location=Oxford|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4051-7936-2|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/AncientMacedonia/Ancient%20Macedonia#page/n401/mode/2up| editor-given1 = Joseph | editor-surname1 = Roisman| editor-given2 = Ian | editor-surname2 = Worthington}}</ref>{{rp|548
}}
[[File:ULPIANA foto Arben Llapashtica 2016.jpg|thumb|Ruins of Ancient [[Ulpiana]] situated southeast of [[Pristina]]. The city, built by [[Trajan]], was an important political, cultural, and financial centre of the Roman province of Dardania]]

During Roman rule, a series of settlements developed in the area, mainly close to mines and to the major roads. The most important of the settlements was [[Ulpiana]],{{sfn|Teichner|2015|p=81}} which is located near modern-day [[Gračanica, Kosovo|Gračanica]]. It was established in the 1st century AD, possibly developing from a concentrated [[Kingdom of Dardania|Dardanian]] [[oppidum]], and then was upgraded to the status of a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[municipium]] at the beginning of the 2nd century during the rule of [[Trajan]].<ref name="Anschnitt1">{{cite journal |title=Römischer Erzbergbau im Umfeld der antiken Stadt Ulpiana bei Pristina (Kosovo) |journal=Der Anschnitt |year=2011 |last1=Gassmann |first1=Guntram |last2=Körlin |first2=Gabriele |last3=Klein |first3=Sabine |volume=63 |pages=157–167 |url=https://www.bergbaumuseum.de/fileadmin/files/zoo/uploads/publikationen/gassmann2011-kosovo.pdf |access-date=2023-08-18 |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214103414/https://www.bergbaumuseum.de/fileadmin/files/zoo/uploads/publikationen/gassmann2011-kosovo.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoxhaj1">{{cite journal |title=Die frühchristliche dardanische Stadt Ulpiana und ihr Verhältnis zu Rom |journal=Dardanica |year=1999 |last=Hoxhaj |first=Enver |volume=8 |pages=21–33}}</ref> Ulpiana became especially important during the rule of [[Justinian I]], after the Emperor rebuilt the city after it had been destroyed by an earthquake and renamed it to ''Iustinianna Secunda''.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/1585643|title=Archaeological Guide of Kosovo|first=Milot|last=Berisha|access-date=5 December 2021|website=Academia.edu|archive-date=27 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427143514/https://www.academia.edu/1585643|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Teichner|2015|p=83}}

Other important towns that developed in the area during Roman rule were [[Vendenis]], located in modern-day [[Podujevë]]; [[Viciano]], possibly near [[Vushtrri]]; and [[Municipium Dardanorum]], an important mining town in [[Leposavić]]. Other archeological sites include [[Çifllak]] in Western Kosovo, [[Archaeological Site of Dresnik|Dresnik]] in [[Klina]], [[Pestova (archaeological site)|Pestova]] in Vushtrri, [[Kllokot-Vërban (archaeological site)|Vërban]] in [[Klokot]], [[Poslishte (archaeological site)|Poslishte]] between [[Vërmica]] and [[Prizren]], [[Paldenica]] near [[Hani i Elezit]], as well as [[Nerodimë e Poshtme]] and [[Nikadin]] near [[Ferizaj]]. The one thing all the settlements have in common is that they are located either near roads, such as Via [[Lissus (Illyria)|Lissus]]-[[Naissus]], or near the mines of [[North Kosovo]] and eastern Kosovo. Most of the settlements are archaeological sites that have been discovered recently and are being excavated.

It is also known that the region was Christianised during Roman rule, though little is known regarding Christianity in the Balkans in the three first centuries AD.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harnack|first=Adolf|title=The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries|volume=1–2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FltKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|year=1998|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-57910-002-5 |page=371}}</ref> The first clear mention of Christians in literature is the case of Bishop Dacus of Macedonia, from Dardania, who was present at the [[First Council of Nicaea]] (325).{{sfn|Harnack|1998|p=80}} It is also known that Dardania had a [[Diocese]] in the 4th century, and its seat was placed in Ulpiana, which remained the [[diocese|episcopal]] centre of Dardania until the establishment of [[Justiniana Prima]] in 535 AD.<ref name="CetinkayaExcavate">{{cite journal |last1=Çetinkaya |first1=Halûk |title=To Excavate or not? Case of Discovery of an Early Christian Baptistery and Church at Ulpiana, Kosovo |journal=Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art |url=https://actual-art.org/files/sb/06/Cetinkaya.pdf |volume=6 |editor-last=Zakharova |editor-first=Anna |editor2-last=Maltseva |editor2-first=Svetlana |editor3-last=Stanyukovich-Denisova |editor3-first=Ekaterina |location=Saint Petersburg |publisher=NP-Print Publ. |year=2016 |pages=111–118 |doi=10.18688/aa166-2-11 |access-date=2023-08-18 |archive-date=10 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310094626/https://actual-art.org/files/sb/06/Cetinkaya.pdf |url-status=live | issn = 2312-2129 }}</ref><ref name="Hoxhaj1" /> The first known bishop of Ulpiana is Machedonius, who was a member of the council of [[Serdika]]. Other known bishops were Paulus ([[synod]] of [[Constantinople]] in 553 AD), and Gregentius, who was sent by [[Justin I]] to [[Ethiopia]] and [[Yemen]] to ease problems among different Christian groups there.<ref name="CetinkayaExcavate" />