Editing Dubrovnik (section)

=== Origins ===

[[File:Old Port and historical center of Dubrovnik, Croatia, a view from the south (48613003236).jpg|thumb|Old Port and historical center of Dubrovnik from the south]]
[[File:Dubrovnik - Croatia.jpg|thumb| Medieval fortresses, [[Lovrijenac]] and Bokar, Dubrovnik]]

Dubrovnik was inhabited by the [[Illyrians|Illyrian tribe]] of [[Pleraei]] in ancient times.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/pleraei-e928040 |title=Brill's New Pauly Encyclopedia |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> According to [[Constantine Porphyrogenitus]]'s ''[[De Administrando Imperio]]'' ({{circa}} 950), Ragusa was founded in the 7th century, named after a "rocky island" called ''Lausa'', by refugees from [[Epidaurum]] ([[Ragusa Vecchia]]), a Roman city situated some {{Cvt|15|km}} to the south, when that city was destroyed by Slavs fighting with the Avars.<ref>{{cite book | title= Povijest Dubrovnika do 1808, Knjiga Prva |author=Vinko Foretić|year=1980 |publisher=Delo |location=Ljubljana |chapter=Uvod |page=5 }}</ref> It was one of the [[Dalmatian city-states]].

Excavations in 2007 revealed a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] basilica from the 8th century and parts of the [[defensive wall|city walls]].
The size of the old basilica clearly indicates that there was quite a large settlement at the time.
There is also evidence for the presence of a settlement in the pre-Christian era, most notably the finding of ancient coins from the 3rd and 2nd century BC, as well as archeological fragments from the 1st century BC in the area of the old City port.<ref>[http://www.unidu.hr/datoteke/172izb/ZBORNIK.pdf ZBORNIK.indd<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401014216/http://www.unidu.hr/datoteke/172izb/ZBORNIK.pdf |date=2016-04-01 }} (2009) {{page needed|date=February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zzpudnz.hr/Portals/0/1_DNZ/_10_POVIJESNI_PRIKAZ.pdf?ver=LmpUPdcwYdBqWYOCEXNP3w%3d%3d |title=Povijesni pregled razvoja područja DNŽ |last= Nodari |first=Maja |date=January 2017 |website=zzpudnz.hr |access-date=December 6, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Žile |first1=Ivica |date=December 22, 2000 |title=Arheološki nalazi unutar perimetra povijesne jezgre grada Dubrovnika |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/5510 |journal=Opvscvla Archaeologica |volume=23-24 |issue=579 |pages=338 |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref>

Antun Ničetić, in his 1996 book ''{{lang|hr|Povijest dubrovačke luke}}'' ({{lang|en|"History of the Port of Dubrovnik"}}), expounds the theory that Dubrovnik was established by Greek sailors,{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} as a station halfway between the two Greek settlements of [[Budva]] and [[Korčula]], {{convert|95|nmi|km mi}} apart from each of them.