Rimski limes i provincije na teritoriji današnje Srbije

Део Дунава од Нештина до Радујевца који данас протиче кроз Србију представљао је све до победе над Дачанима и формирања провинције Дакије 106. године границу према барбарикуму. Током овог периода настале су најстарије фазе утврђивања границе системом војних постаја. Од 106. године па све до напуштања Дакије 272/3. године утврђења на десној обали Дунава немају функцију граничних постаја, али и даље у њима бораве војне посаде, што се може објаснити непрекидном потребом контроле преласка реке, речне пловидбе, као и залеђа лимеса у којем су експлоатисане руде у области Космаја, и источне Србије. О тој потреби за војном контролом рудоносних области сведоче и утврђења подигнута унутар саме провинције, на Космају и у долини Белог Тимока – Тимакум минус

Војна опрема

Основно оружје римског војника био је кратки мач, гладијус. Пошто се римска војска бо-рила у збијеном реду, у коме је сваки војник имао унапред одређен задатак, појединац није имаодовољно простора за индивидуалну борбу са дугачким оружјем. Сразмерно мала дужина, одоко 65 cm, омогућавала је вешто баратање гладијусом у непосредној борби прса у прса и надмоћнад непријатељима, који су углавном имали знатно теже и гломазније мачеве.The basic weapon of any Roman soldier was a short sword – gladius. Since Roman army fought in a compact formation in which every soldier had a specific, predetermined task, there was not enough space for any individual to fight using a long weapon. A relatively small length of about 65 cm made skillful gladius hand-to-hand combat possible and also overcoming any enemy, who usually used much heavier and longer swords

The blues of Romuliana

The paper presents a set of glass fragments excavated at several different locations within and outside the late Roman fortified imperial residence Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad, Serbia). This small group of eighteen fragments and mosaic glass tesserae are distinguished by their cobalt blue colour. The majority of the finds are mosaic tesserae (six pcs) and sheets of glass (five pcs), which could be related to architectural decoration (sectilia panels). Others are pieces left behind from secondary glass working (four pcs). There are also two fragments tentatively identified as window pane pieces, and only one find is a vessel sherd. The materials are dated to the 4th century. Significantly, some of the production debris and the two “window pane” fragments were found inside the destruction of a glass furnace. The analyses of the chemical glass composition of the finds confirmed that the blue colourant in all samples is cobalt, and antimony is also present at notable levels (except for one sample), likely to produce opacification of the glass. Regarding the origin of the raw glass, the data on almost all pieces suggests a Syro-Palestinian provenance, and a single sample could be related to Egyptian primary glass production. Importantly, the concentrations of the oxides added to the base glasses in order to modify the colour are positively correlated in certain samples, hinting at the makeup of the cobalt bearing ingredient and at a likely existence of particular production practices of the late Roman period

Fifth Century Burial in Front of the Northern Gate of Romuliana – Anthropolgical Analysis

The small northern gate or postern represents a part of the later fortification system of Felix Romuliana located between Towers 8 and 10 (fig. 1). It was excavated before1, however, researches of wider scope were performed for the first time in 2014, when two trenches examined the stratigraphy of this area2. One had the goal of investigating the structure of layers in front of the small gate entrance, while the other explored the space immediately outside the rampart for a length of 12 m (fig. 2). The surface in front of the gate represents a layer of lime mortar with occasional pieces of crushed stone immersed in it, created in the period of the building of the later fortification of Felix Romuliana. This level slopes northwards (towards the defence ditch), hence it was registered at 186.50 m ASL in front of the gate, while it measured 185.60 m ASL at the northernmost part of the trench 1. A layer of debris created during the collapse of the upper parts of tower 8 and the northern rampart covered the mortar level. During the excavations, it was impossible to determine the original level up to which this area was covered, considering the fact that large quantities of debris were removed in the 1990s. The point from which the research began is some 60 cm above the mortar level. Inside trench 1/2014, ca. 3 m from the northern rampart, a burial of an individual was discovered (G-1/14), simply buried into a layer of debris created above the mortar layer (fig. 3a). The mortar level was penetrated ca. 30 cm deep by this burial, hence, the deceased was laid in a layer of yellow clayish ground. The deceased’s body was laid on the back, oriented in west-east direction. His arms were crossed on his chest and his hands bent under the mandible. His left leg was partially bent outwards, and the right one was found broken at the diaphysis level of tibia and fibula. Judging by the context of the finding, the deceased’s body was laid into a simple burial pit, without any grave construction or grave markers. It was impossible to determine the original depth of the pit since a layer had been previously removed in this area. In respect to the current terrain level, the skeleton was discovered at the depth of 0.60 m. When the skeleton was lifted, three pieces of gold were discovered in the area of the deceased’s right side (fig. 3b). Those were: one solidus of the Emperor Marcianus (AD 450–457)3, a tremissis of Emperor Theodosius II (AD 408–450)4, and a tremissis of Aelia Pulcheria (AD 399–453)5. The finding of the three coins provides a firm basis for dating the burial into the period during or after the sixth decade of the 5th century AD

Felix Romuliana – Gamzigrad: rekognosciranja 2017. godine

Arheološka rekognosciranja okoline Feliks Romulijane (Gamzigrad) i Rgotine. obavljena u saradnji sa državnim univerzitetom Floride, 2017. godine

Roman Limes in Serbia

Rimski Limes, odnosno granice nekadašnjeg Rimskog carstva, danas se prostiru na preko 7.500 km, kroz 20 zemalja koje okružuju Sredozemno more, čineći najveći i najduži spomenik kulturne baštine na svetu. Našoj zemlji pripada ako ne njen najlepši deo, onda svakako najuzbudljiviji. Arheolozi su na prostoru Gvozdenih vrata već bili prilično zaposleni u drugoj polovini XX veka, tokom izgradnje hidroelektrana Đerdap I i Đerdap II, koristeći poslednju priliku da istraže i spasu ono što je nakon nekoliko milenija preostalo od grandioznih kultura koje su se razvijale duž Dunava. U svet su tada poslate slike najstarije kamene skulpture sa Lepenskog Vira, ostataka najdužeg mosta sagrađenog u antici kod Kostola, rimskog puta usečenog u stene Đerdapske klisure, premeštanja Trajanove table... Predmeti su obogatili muzeje, saznanja o drevnim kulturama uticala su na nove generacije istraživača i nove kulturne teorije, a antičko nasleđe je, nažalost, najvećim delom potopljeno, dok su preostale fotografije i crteži jedina svedočanstva o njihovom postojanju. Međutim, kako se svet menja i savremene tehnologije ulaze u svakodnevnicu, tako i ono što je potopljeno, ustvari, nije izgubljeno. Još uvek postoji i može se zaštititi! Nakon decenija zaštitnih istraživanja, potom konzervacije onoga što je preostalo (Diana, Pontes), u mogućnosti smo da naš deo Limesa stavimo pod zaštitu UNESCO-a. Naravno, do toga se još mora dosta uraditi na zaštiti, i fizičkoj i pravnoj, ali prvi koraci su već napravljeni. Delovi Rimskog limesa u Britaniji i Germaniji su stavljeni na listu svetske kulturne baštine, a od 2012. godine Arheološki institut je učesnik u međunarodnom projektu čiji je cilj da ceo Dunavski limes bude pod zaštitom UNESCO-a. Kao nekada, pre skoro 2.000 godina, postaćemo deo Rimskog carstva, ovog puta bez upotrebe vojne sile i sa jedinim ciljem popularizacije i promocije kulturnog nasleđa. Publikacija koja je pred vama napisana je sa ciljem da pruži istorijske i arheološke podatke o rimskom Limesu uošte, ali i da posluži kao svojevrstan vodič kroz Dunavski limes u Srbiji

The history of the domestic cat in Central Europe

A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat’s domestication history. The authors discuss how this has led to the development of an interdisciplinary project combining palaeogenetics, zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of providing insight into the domestic cat’s expansion beyond the Mediterranean

Stable population structure in Europe since the Iron Age, despite high mobility

Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000–3000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed from the historical period onward (3000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia and France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. At least 7% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring geography. We show that, under standard population genetics models with local panmixia, the observed level of dispersal would lead to a collapse of population structure. Persistent population structure thus suggests a lower effective migration rate than indicated by the observed dispersal. We hypothesize that this phenomenon can be explained by extensive transient dispersal arising from drastically improved transportation networks and the Roman Empire’s mobilization of people for trade, labor, and military. This work highlights the utility of ancient DNA in elucidating finer scale human population dynamics in recent history

Late Roman necropolis Beljnjača in Šid

After accidental discovery of the Late Roman sarcophagus in Šid there were conducted rescue archaeological excavations in 1998. On that occasion has been discovered underground rectangular structure - crypt where the sarcophagus had been placed. In the immediate vicinity has been discovered a grave of a female buried in simple burial pit. In this work we are discussing representations of soldiers on the sarcophagus, dating of the find and possibility of the villa existing in the immediate vicinity of the necropolis

Felix Romuliana/Gamzigrad in the fifth century – results of recent research

Over the last sixty years excavations at the later Roman site of Felix Romuliana/Gamzigrad, in eastern Serbia, have brought to light numerous objects from the period of the Tetrarchy but also well-pre-served layers of the post-palatial period which have enabled researchers to identify the main charac-teristics of the site at the end of the fourth century and during the fi ft h. In this contribution we are presenting new settlement features and burial fi nds of this period. Various structures were erected within the earlier defence. Th ese did not respect the spatial organisa-tion of the previous palatial complex. A basilica was erected within the walls of an earlier audience hall, while textile workshops were established in some chambers of the palace. Th e empty space be-tween the palatial buildings, temples and baths was occupied by modest structures. Glass, metal and bone production is likely to have taken place within these buildings. During the same period elements of the fortifi cation (towers and porticoes) were adapted for the same purpose, as workshops and dwellings. Finds such as coins, fi bulae and specifi c types of combs enabled us to date the end of this phase to the end of the fourth and fi rst half of the fi ft h century. Th e end of this post-palatial period is usually seen as marked by the Hunnic incursions of the fourth decade of the fi ft h century. Th e fi nd of a grave outside Romuliana’s northern gate, dated to aft er AD 450, suggests that life continued in Romuliana in the second half of the fi ft h century