Singidunum

Singidunum is the historical name for the settlement that occupied the site of modern Belgrade, established as a fortified town on the Danube during the Roman period. It served as a military garrison and local administrative centre on Rome’s northern frontier.

Under Roman rule the site included a castrum and civilian settlement; it later passed through Byzantine, Slavic and medieval Serbian phases as the city evolved. Material traces from the Roman and later eras survive in archaeological layers beneath the modern fortress and old town.

Singidunum’s strategic position at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers defined its military and commercial importance across antiquity and the Middle Ages, contributing directly to the continuous urban presence that became Belgrade.

The ancient site lies within today’s central Belgrade, Serbia, on the high ground where Belgrade Fortress (Kalemegdan) overlooks the confluence of the two rivers.

• Roman origin: Singidunum was the Roman-era predecessor of modern Belgrade and was an important military and trading outpost on the Danube frontier.
• Archaeology: Archaeological remains of Roman and later periods are concentrated beneath and around the modern Belgrade Fortress and old town areas.

What to See #

• Roman castrum and fortifications: The Roman castrum and fortifications that formed the military core of Singidunum in the Roman period, remnants visible under Belgrade Fortress.
• Riverside strategic site: The riverside location at the confluence of the Sava and Danube, the strategic point that defined the settlement's importance across periods.