Sprinkled with Roman establishments, this depicts the shield-shaped peninsula of Istria which extends into the Adriatic. (Today Croatia shares it with Italy and Slovenia.) Pula is at the bottom and, like the rest of the Istrian peninsula, was part of Italy after WWI until Mussolini fell in 1943 and Nazi Germany took over. The Allies then repeatedly bombed Pula's strategic port on its deep-watered bay. Rome took control of the peninsula after conquering the native tribes in 177 BCE. Pula peaked at about 30,000 people under Julius Caesar around 45 BCE. Pula bet on the wrong horse during the civil war that followed Caesar's assassination. When Julius Caesar's great-nephew and adopted son/successor named Augustus eventually took power, he leveled Pula. (Shortly thereafter he started the Pax Romana which brought peace to the Mediterranean for 2 centuries.)Augustus's daughter convinced him to rebuild the city and it has featured some outstanding Roman architecture ever since.
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