Zadar is a city of remarkably long and rich history and with its location represents the urban center od the Northern Dalmatia. Thanks to its favourable location by the seaside and its climate and topographie benefits, it has been inhabited already in the 9th c. BC. It was populated by the Iliyrian tribe Liburnians and, consequently, the part of the Adriatic coast between the rivers Raša in Istria and Krka in Dalmatia was named after them at that time. After the expansion of the Roman Empire, Liburnia became a part of it. Majority of Liburnian towns appeared in the preroman period, but Roman Iader was established as a colony od Roman citizens most likely during the first years of emperor Augustus' reign after 27 BC. However, according to some other interpretations, the town was founded in Caesar's time between 46 and 44 BC. After the establishment of the colony of Roman citizens, Iader experiences a transformation because all urban elements from the preroman period were changing. The colony Iader reached a high level of urbanism. The town was born on a peninsula and it was built on the basic principles of Roman urban planning. Orthogonal division of space was enabled by a flat ground. As for the architecture, there was an abundance of various buildings without which the functioning of the town would be unthinkable. The buildings had diverse character: religious, economic, administrative or cultural. As for its population, it could be said that it consisted of the indigenous people who had accepted the new roman elements and besides them, a big part of the population were immigrants from the Roman Empire. Most of information about them is gathered from epigraphic monuments thanks to which we are trying to bring back to life everyday living of that period and they enabled us to see how the sense of the city itself had been changing gradually.