Milestone of Emperor Antoninus Pius, Čatež ob Savi
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The Romans marked distances between cities with milestones—stone pillars placed along roads. These pillars provided information about the distance to the nearest significant city in the region and the name of the reigning emperor, along with all their titles. Milestones were named after the Roman unit of distance, the mile, measuring 1,478.5 meters.
The Čatež milestone, discovered in 1959 during the construction of the Ljubljana-Zagreb highway, dates back to the period between 139 and 141 AD, during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius. Although only fragments survived due to blasting, the inscription can be reconstructed. The milestone likely indicated the distance to the Roman settlement of Andautonia (modern-day Šćitarjevo), approximately 30 miles away.
This milestone is a significant testament to the extensive construction and renovation of the road network toward the east during the reign of Antoninus Pius. It originally stood along an important route connecting the Italian city of Aquileia with Siscia in the province of Pannonia.