Modern Vinkovci sits almost exactly on top of the Roman city of Cibalae, an important settlement on the Pannonian plain that served as a waypoint on the Roman road network between Siscia (Sisak) and Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica). Two Roman emperors — Valentinian I and Valens — were born here in the fourth century, which gives the site a significance beyond its modest provincial role.
Visible Roman remains above ground are limited — centuries of habitation have buried or built over most of the city — but fragments of walls and pavement surface occasionally during construction work and are sometimes left visible behind protective glass. The municipal museum holds the bulk of the finds, which help reconstruct what the city looked like at its peak in the third and fourth centuries.