Bassianae was founded as an autonomous
civitas in the 1st century and existed until the 6th century. It obtained the
municipium status in 124 AD, while in 214 AD it was recorded as a colony. Initially, the town was part of the province of
Pannonia, but due to the subsequent divisions of this province, Bassianae was included into
Pannonia Inferior (2nd century) and later into
Pannonia Secunda (3rd century). It was one of the more important towns in the
Pannonia province. During late
Roman Empire, the town was a seat of one high official -
procurator gynaecii Bassianensis Pannoniae secundae. In the 4th century it had a
gynaecia (Imperial woolen mill, showing the importance of the town) and was a seat of the
Christian bishopric. In the middle of the 5th century, the town was conquered by the
Huns. In 468,
Dengizich, the son of
Attila, devastated Bassianae, but suffered a major defeat after trying to capture the town during the
Hun-
Ostrogoth Wars,
Ostrogoth Valamir came out victorious. For several decades, the region was a scene of struggle between
Huns,
Ostrogoths,
Gepids and
Lombards. In 510 AD, the treaty between
Eastern Roman Empire and
Ostrogoths divided the Syrmia region between two countries, and the town of Bassianae was included in the Eastern Roman state. When Eastern Empire managed to capture
Sirmium after the defeat of the
Gepids, the new province of
Pannonia with a seat in
Sirmium was established and the town of Bassianae was included in that province. In the second half of the 6th century, the whole
Syrmia region was conquered by the
Avars. ==Archaeology==