Une nouvelle dédicace de fondation de Justinien et de Théodora à Iustiniana secunda (Ulpiana, Gračanica, Kosovo)

A New Dedication of the Foundation of Iustiniana Secunda by Justinian and Theodora (Ulpiana, Gracanica, Kosovo)

The discovery of a dedication by Justinian and Theodora in the main Christian basilica of the the new city they founded in Iustiniana Secunda, in present-day Gračanica in Kosovo (fig. 1), 8 km south-east of the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina, is exceptional. It confirms the emperor’s attachment to his home province, Dardania, as reported by Procopius and Justinian himself in his Novellae. Written as an elegant epigram in Latin, its elegiac dystichs, inspired by Virgil, show the vivacy of Latin culture at the imperial court in the middle of the sixth century AD. They also illustrate the changing relationship between cities, the church and the imperial power.