Gamzigrad
Encyclopedia
Gamzigrad is an archaeological site, spa resort
and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serbia
, located south of the Danube river
, near the city of Zaječar
. It is the location of the ancient Roman complex of palaces and temples Felix Romuliana, built by Emperor Galerius
. The main area covers 10 acres (40,468.6 m²).
complex called Felix Romuliana, one of the most important late Roman sites in Europe
. Early explorers believed the ancient ruins to have been a Roman military camp, because of their size and numerous towers. Systematic archaeological excavations conducted since 1953 revealed that the site was, in fact, an Imperial palace. It was conceived and built by one of the Tetrarchs, Emperor Galerius
, the adopted son and son-in-law of the great Emperor Diocletian
. Galerius started construction in 298
(after a victory over the Persians that brought him admiration and glory) to mark the place of his birth. The name Felix Romuliana was given in memory of his mother Romula
, who was also a priestess of a pagan cult. The complex of temples and palaces served three main purposes - a place of worship of his mother’s divine personality, a monument to his deeds as emperor, and a luxurious villa for Galerius. Romuliana survived until it was plundered by the Huns
in the mid 5th century. Later the site became a humble settlement of farmers and craftsmen, finally to be abandoned at the beginning of the 7th century with the arrival of the Slavs.
The structures were first evaluated in 1835 by Baron von Herder, a Saxon mine entrepreneur, in the "Bergmänische Reise in Serbie im Jahre 1835". Later the German mineralogist August Breithaupt also wrote an article about the constructions. The Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer and archaeologist Felix Philipp Kanitz
(who has earned great respect in Serbia and Bulgaria through his works on the South Slavs) was especially interested in Gamzigrad and visited the ruins on two occasions, in 1860 and in 1864 when he drew the then condition of the ramparts and towers, included in his works on Serbia, printed in Vienna and Leipzig.
The enthusiasm for Gamzigrad disappeared by the end of the 19th century. The real history of the complex was yet to be researched. The interest was revived in the 1950s during the period of "Neo-romanticism of Serbian archaeology". Vekoslav Popovic, Director of the Town Museum of Zajecar initiated the systematic archaeological research in 1953.
The academic professor Dr. Dragoslav Srejovic was in charge of the research in 1970, he is the one regarded as positioning the monument among world archaeology.
The complex was demystified in 1984, when in the south-west a archivolt with the inscription of FELIX ROMULIANA was discovered.
The construction started in 298 AD near the birthplace of Galerius
, the site was named "Felix Romuliana" after his mother, Romula. Galerius was of Thracian and Dacian stock, descendant of tribes ruling parts of the Balkans prior to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC.
Archaeological excavations on the site have unearthed the remains of a Roman compound with 2 temples, 2 palaces and a building with corridor including exceptionally fine mosaics depicting Greek gods Dionysos and Medusa
, figural capitals of Hercules
, baths and impressive gates. Several valuable hoards of Roman gold coins have been unearthed at the site, which continues to yield important Roman treasures and artifacts.
Pilasters of Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, Licinius, Maximinus and Constantine are among spectacular finds. In the two mausolea on the Magura hill Romula and the founder Galerius were buried and deified.
Among the most important finds from the site are portraits of Roman emperors made from the Egypt
ian purple stone called porphyry
and coins that help to accurately date the complex. A sculpture of Diana, the goddess of hunt, was unearthed in July 2010 by German and Serbian archeology teams, experts said that horse and a rider is missing which symbolizes victory over the Barbarians.
Alongside the Latin inscriptions throughout the complex, several Greek inscriptions are found.
The northwestern part was renovated; basilicas were built, during the rule of Emperor Justinian
, built in 305 AD. The remains include a high podium, cross-shaped crypt, stairway and sacrificial altar. It was dedicated to goddess Libera
The architrave, doorposts, podium and pillars were made of green sandstone, frieze of white limestone while the figural capitals were made of marble.
and a smaller bathroom. The vestibulum (accessory hall) is preserved with marble plate and pillars of green serpent brecha and red granite. The floor of the vestibulum is completely covered by a mosaic carpet with a labyrinth in its center and geometric motives.
The central hall (possible throne) is ornamented with geometrics and picturesque hunting scenes.
The triclinum is ornamented with precious colorful stone tiles (opus sectile) and the entrance is ornamented with a luxurious mosaic with the image of the Greek god Dionysus
. Parts of a sculpture of Galerius depicted as Pantocrator (ruler of Universe) have been found throughout the buildings, a left hand holding a globe of red porphyry was found in the triclinum, the head was found in the south-east of the complex.
The Palace walls are covered with marble, green porphyry and frescoes. The marble sculptures depicting the Greek gods are made according to 5th and 4th century BC sculptural art.
The capitals of the pillars of the peristiles in the atrium with a fountain were made of white marble taken from the Greek island of Proconos. The walls of a polygonal room had the plates made of green porphyry from Peloponnesus.
A rectangular peristile in the center is surrounded by premises of different sizes and functions.
The walls and floor of the cella have the layer of marble plates. According to the fragments of architectonic elements, we can assume that the temple had two colonnades of columns: a higher one with the Corinthian columns and a lower one with the Ionian columns. In the very vicinity of the temple a great number of fragments of sculptures was found – they were made of white marble, the most important of which were the heads of Jupiter and Hercules (Photos 20 & 21) according to which the purpose of the temple could be defined. The founder Tetrarchius, Diocletian identified himself with Jupiter while his adopted son and co-ruler Galerius on entering the divine Jupiter family took Hercules for his patron. That’s how the tradition for the rulers to be named after Jupiter and Hercules was established as well as to celebrate the annual holiday in their honor (Ioni et Herculi) on the day when the augusti identified themselves with Jupiter and caesari with Hercules – the day which became their common and genuine birthday (geminus natalis). It is certain that the temple dominating Romuliana was dedicated to those Gods, i.e. to the cult of the rulers identified with them. It is, above all, Galerius himself who was honored as Divus Galerius after death and apotheosis.
, New Zealand
from the 23rd of June to the second of July, The World Heritage Committee decided to place Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius on the World Heritage List.http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38732&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Felix Romuliana is a popular tourist stop on the Roman Emperors' trail which links the birthplaces of over 17 Roman Emperors born on the territory of modern Serbia
.
, Serbia
)
Gamzigradska Banja
Gamzigradska Banja is a spa town situated in the eastern Serbia, at the height of 160 m above sea level.It is said for Gamzigradska Banja that it is "a warm water in a cold river"...
and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, located south of the Danube river
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, near the city of Zaječar
Zajecar
Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...
. It is the location of the ancient Roman complex of palaces and temples Felix Romuliana, built by Emperor Galerius
Galerius
Galerius , was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300...
. The main area covers 10 acres (40,468.6 m²).
History
In the vicinity of Gamzigrad lie the ruins of a huge RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
complex called Felix Romuliana, one of the most important late Roman sites in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Early explorers believed the ancient ruins to have been a Roman military camp, because of their size and numerous towers. Systematic archaeological excavations conducted since 1953 revealed that the site was, in fact, an Imperial palace. It was conceived and built by one of the Tetrarchs, Emperor Galerius
Galerius
Galerius , was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300...
, the adopted son and son-in-law of the great Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
. Galerius started construction in 298
298
Year 298 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustus and Gallus...
(after a victory over the Persians that brought him admiration and glory) to mark the place of his birth. The name Felix Romuliana was given in memory of his mother Romula
Romula
Romula or Malva was an ancient city in Roman Dacia, nowadays being the village of Reşca, Dobrosloveni Commune, Olt County, Romania It was the capital of Dacia Malvensis, one of the three subdivisions of the province of Dacia....
, who was also a priestess of a pagan cult. The complex of temples and palaces served three main purposes - a place of worship of his mother’s divine personality, a monument to his deeds as emperor, and a luxurious villa for Galerius. Romuliana survived until it was plundered by the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
in the mid 5th century. Later the site became a humble settlement of farmers and craftsmen, finally to be abandoned at the beginning of the 7th century with the arrival of the Slavs.
The structures were first evaluated in 1835 by Baron von Herder, a Saxon mine entrepreneur, in the "Bergmänische Reise in Serbie im Jahre 1835". Later the German mineralogist August Breithaupt also wrote an article about the constructions. The Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer and archaeologist Felix Philipp Kanitz
Felix Philipp Kanitz
Felix Philipp Kanitz was an Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist and author of travel notes....
(who has earned great respect in Serbia and Bulgaria through his works on the South Slavs) was especially interested in Gamzigrad and visited the ruins on two occasions, in 1860 and in 1864 when he drew the then condition of the ramparts and towers, included in his works on Serbia, printed in Vienna and Leipzig.
“Gamzigrad is one of the most magnificent monuments of the past...”
...“one of the largest and best preserved monuments of Roman architecture in Europe”
-F. Kanitz
The enthusiasm for Gamzigrad disappeared by the end of the 19th century. The real history of the complex was yet to be researched. The interest was revived in the 1950s during the period of "Neo-romanticism of Serbian archaeology". Vekoslav Popovic, Director of the Town Museum of Zajecar initiated the systematic archaeological research in 1953.
The academic professor Dr. Dragoslav Srejovic was in charge of the research in 1970, he is the one regarded as positioning the monument among world archaeology.
The complex was demystified in 1984, when in the south-west a archivolt with the inscription of FELIX ROMULIANA was discovered.
Structure
Galerius
Galerius , was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300...
, the site was named "Felix Romuliana" after his mother, Romula. Galerius was of Thracian and Dacian stock, descendant of tribes ruling parts of the Balkans prior to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC.
Archaeological excavations on the site have unearthed the remains of a Roman compound with 2 temples, 2 palaces and a building with corridor including exceptionally fine mosaics depicting Greek gods Dionysos and Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
, figural capitals of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, baths and impressive gates. Several valuable hoards of Roman gold coins have been unearthed at the site, which continues to yield important Roman treasures and artifacts.
Pilasters of Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, Licinius, Maximinus and Constantine are among spectacular finds. In the two mausolea on the Magura hill Romula and the founder Galerius were buried and deified.
Among the most important finds from the site are portraits of Roman emperors made from the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian purple stone called porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
and coins that help to accurately date the complex. A sculpture of Diana, the goddess of hunt, was unearthed in July 2010 by German and Serbian archeology teams, experts said that horse and a rider is missing which symbolizes victory over the Barbarians.
Alongside the Latin inscriptions throughout the complex, several Greek inscriptions are found.
The northwestern part was renovated; basilicas were built, during the rule of Emperor Justinian
Northern Temple
The temple is of the tetrastile prostilos type, similar to the Jupiter temple at Diocletian Palace in SplitSplit (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, built in 305 AD. The remains include a high podium, cross-shaped crypt, stairway and sacrificial altar. It was dedicated to goddess Libera
Libera (mythology)
Libera is a fertility goddess in ancient Roman religion. Her origins are unknown; she may have been a fertility goddess of archaic or pre-Roman Magna Graecia. Her Latin name is the feminine form of Liber,...
The architrave, doorposts, podium and pillars were made of green sandstone, frieze of white limestone while the figural capitals were made of marble.
Palace 1
The palace consists of a octagonal premise, three peristilesPeristyle
In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture a peristyle is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court that may contain an internal garden. Tetrastoon is another name for this feature...
and a smaller bathroom. The vestibulum (accessory hall) is preserved with marble plate and pillars of green serpent brecha and red granite. The floor of the vestibulum is completely covered by a mosaic carpet with a labyrinth in its center and geometric motives.
The central hall (possible throne) is ornamented with geometrics and picturesque hunting scenes.
The triclinum is ornamented with precious colorful stone tiles (opus sectile) and the entrance is ornamented with a luxurious mosaic with the image of the Greek god Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
. Parts of a sculpture of Galerius depicted as Pantocrator (ruler of Universe) have been found throughout the buildings, a left hand holding a globe of red porphyry was found in the triclinum, the head was found in the south-east of the complex.
The Palace walls are covered with marble, green porphyry and frescoes. The marble sculptures depicting the Greek gods are made according to 5th and 4th century BC sculptural art.
The capitals of the pillars of the peristiles in the atrium with a fountain were made of white marble taken from the Greek island of Proconos. The walls of a polygonal room had the plates made of green porphyry from Peloponnesus.
Palace Two
The second palace and a building with a corridor has only been partially researched.A rectangular peristile in the center is surrounded by premises of different sizes and functions.
Grand Temple
The Grand Temple dominates the south of the compound. The podium in the temple and the basis of a large stairway are well preserved while the walls of the cella are only partly preserved. The remains of an altar with a narrow stairway were found in front of the temple. There is a double crypt in the podium of the temple: a wall directed towards east and west divides the crypt into two rooms with the rectangular basis. A very narrow stairway starting from the southeastern corner of the cella led to the crypt. The cella is rectangular with the antas forming a shallow vestibule.The walls and floor of the cella have the layer of marble plates. According to the fragments of architectonic elements, we can assume that the temple had two colonnades of columns: a higher one with the Corinthian columns and a lower one with the Ionian columns. In the very vicinity of the temple a great number of fragments of sculptures was found – they were made of white marble, the most important of which were the heads of Jupiter and Hercules (Photos 20 & 21) according to which the purpose of the temple could be defined. The founder Tetrarchius, Diocletian identified himself with Jupiter while his adopted son and co-ruler Galerius on entering the divine Jupiter family took Hercules for his patron. That’s how the tradition for the rulers to be named after Jupiter and Hercules was established as well as to celebrate the annual holiday in their honor (Ioni et Herculi) on the day when the augusti identified themselves with Jupiter and caesari with Hercules – the day which became their common and genuine birthday (geminus natalis). It is certain that the temple dominating Romuliana was dedicated to those Gods, i.e. to the cult of the rulers identified with them. It is, above all, Galerius himself who was honored as Divus Galerius after death and apotheosis.
Preservation and Tourism
During the 31st Session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
from the 23rd of June to the second of July, The World Heritage Committee decided to place Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius on the World Heritage List.http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38732&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Felix Romuliana is a popular tourist stop on the Roman Emperors' trail which links the birthplaces of over 17 Roman Emperors born on the territory of modern Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Roman Emperors
Three Roman Emperors were born in this municipality (modern ZaječarZajecar
Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
)
- GaleriusGaleriusGalerius , was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300...
ruled 293-311 - MaximinusMaximinusMaximinus II , also known as Maximinus Daia or Maximinus Daza, was Roman Emperor from 308 to 313. He was born of Dacian peasant stock to the half sister of the emperor Galerius near their family lands around Felix Romuliana; a rural area then in the Danubian region of Moesia, now Eastern Serbia.He...
ruled 305-312 - LiciniusLiciniusLicinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
ruled 308-324
See also
- Gamzigradska BanjaGamzigradska BanjaGamzigradska Banja is a spa town situated in the eastern Serbia, at the height of 160 m above sea level.It is said for Gamzigradska Banja that it is "a warm water in a cold river"...
, spa resort - Roman SerbiaRoman SerbiaThe territory of what is today the Republic of Serbia was under Roman rule for about 600 years, from the 1st century BC until the Slavic invasions of the 6th century....
- Archaeological Sites of Exceptional ImportanceArchaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance are the archaeological sites in the Republic of Serbia that have the highest level of the State protection, and some of them are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites....