More Ancient Than Rome

Zadar is more ancient than Rome, said the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus way back in 950. According to his opinion, the Latin name of the city Iader (Iadera) should be read as 'iam erat', which means 'once was', and that is proof that it existed before Rome. The Emperor, surely, wanted to emphasize the geopolitical position of Zadar, which was the capital of the Byzantine theme of Dalmatia in the 10^th century.