Editing Kingdom of Rovenia (section)

=== Prehistory and antiquity ===
Prior to Roman conquest, the territory of modern Rovenia was inhabited by the Vareni, a confederation of [[w:Celts|Celtic]] and [[w:Illyrians|Illyrian]] tribes who settled the eastern Alpine foothills during the [[w:La Tène culture|La Tène period]]. The Vareni controlled key trade routes connecting the [[w:Danube|Danube]] basin to the [[w:Adriatic Sea|Adriatic Sea]], specializing in [[w:Ironworking|ironworking]], timber, livestock, and the [[w:Amber Road|amber trade]].

In 15 BCE, [[w:Roman legion|Roman legions]] under [[w:Tiberius|Tiberius]] incorporated Vareni lands into the frontier provinces of [[w:Pannonia|Pannonia]] and [[w:Noricum|Noricum]]. Under Roman rule, urban centers developed along major military roads. Among these was ''Valligradum'' (modern Veligrad), founded near a strategic river crossing on the Rova. [[w:Early Christianity|Christianity]] took root in urban centers by the late 3rd century; local tradition attributes the founding of the regional church to Saint Aurelius of Valligradum, a 4th-century [[w:Bishop|bishop]] whose legacy became a focal point of later medieval state veneration.