Ad Pirum
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Ad Pirum was a Late Antique military fortress on the Hrušica Plateau, part of the extensive barrier system Claustra Alpium Iuliarum, built to control key routes toward Italy and to defend the western part of the Roman state in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The construction of the Claustra barrier system began in the second half of the 3rd century as a response to repeated incursions by Germanic and other barbarian peoples; the system came into full use in the Constantinian period and directly protected the heart of the Roman Empire. Ad Pirum developed as an important stronghold on the Aquileia–Emona road at the strategic Hrušica pass; at this location there had already been a postal and road-control station in the time of Augustus, later enclosed with walls and towers and garrisoned by troops. The plan of Ad Pirum was irregularly oval; the fortress measured about 250 metres in length and up to 75 metres in width, and was surrounded by a thick wall initially about 6–8 metres high, reinforced with towers. A transverse wall divided the interior into upper and lower sectors; the lower sector contained headquarters buildings, barracks, workshops, a postal station and a cistern, while the upper sector served as the last line of defence and as pasture for animals. Ad Pirum was one of the principal larger forts within the Claustra system, which comprised long defensive walls, towers and smaller fortifications guarding the easier passes of the Julian Alps; the system was most active in the 4th and 5th centuries and then lost its strategic importance toward the end of Late Antiquity and in the early medieval period. Archaeological sources and research indicate that the scale and complexity of the defensive works reflect the strategic role of this area in Late Antiquity. Modern archaeological excavations and publications, including specialist monographs and studies, document the spatial layout of the fortress, the preserved structures (cistern, towers, transverse wall) and the ceramic and small finds that help reconstruct daily life and military organisation at Ad Pirum. The remains of the barrier system are visible on the ground today and constitute the largest Roman monument in Slovenia; the area is arranged with archaeological trails and interpretive panels for visitors. Not far from Ad Pirum lies Lanišče, a smaller Late Antique fortification built in the 4th century as part of the outer defensive line of the Claustra, intended to control the old Roman road and to complement the larger posts, especially Ad Pirum. The remains at Lanišče show stone walls with crenellated tops and walls several metres thick; defensive towers were also positioned to oversee access routes and facilitate observation and the holding of potential incursions.
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