Asseria was an ancient Liburnian and later Roman settlement in Dalmatia. The archaeological site is located near the village of Podgrađe, 5 km southeast of Benkovac.
Asseria was situated on the road from Jadera (Zadar) towards Burnum and Varvaria. At the beginning of the 2nd century, Emperor Trajan passed through the town, leading his army on a campaign to Dacia. In his honour, the people of Asseria erected a triumphal arch at one of the city’s entrances.
The walls of this ancient city are up to 3 metres thick in certain places. Water was brought to the settlement through an aqueduct from the area of today’s Lisičić. Among the remains of the city, a large number of tombstones and a large square-shaped stone altar have been found.
In the book “Bukovica and Ravni Kotari: A Guide to the Cultural Heritage,” on page 44, it is written: “A few minutes of walking along the ruined walls are enough to see that the location of this city was of great importance. The city was situated on a dominant elevation overlooking the road from the ancient settlement of Jadera (the Liburnian settlement from which today’s Zadar developed) and Nedinum towards Varvaria and Burnum.