GAMZIGRAD

'Gamzigrad' is a town in Serbia, located south of the Danube river, near Zaječar.

Contents

History

History

In the vicinity of the Gamzigrad spa there are ruins of the Roman complex called "Felix Romuliana", one of the most important late Roman sites in Europe. The first explorers believed the ancient ruins had been a Roman military camp, because of their size and numerous towers. However, systematic archeological excavations since 1953 revealed that it had, in fact, been an imperial palace. It was a project of one of the tetrarchs, Galerius, the adopted son and son-in-law of the great Diocletianus. Galerius started construction works in 289, after a victory over the Persians that brought him admiration and glory, to mark the place of his birth. It was therefore given the name Felix Romuliana in memory of his Queen mother Romula, a priestess of a pagan cult. This complex of temples and palaces was a place of worship of his mother’s divine personality, the monument to his deeds as an emperor, as well as a luxurious villa where Galerius withdrew after abdication. Romuliana served its purpose until it was plundered by the Huns in the mid 5th century. Later it was turned into an unpretentious settlement of farmers and craftsmen, finally to be abandoned at the beginning of the 7th century with the arrival of the Slavs.
Archeological excavation in the fortress have unearthed the remains of a palace with exceptionally fine mosaics, baths and impressive gates. Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad is thought to have been one of the residences of the Roman Emperor Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus, in the late 3rd and early 4th century.
Among the important finds from the site are portraits of rulers made from the Egyptian purple stone called porphyry and coins that help to date the complex.
During the 31st Session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Christchurch, 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.[1]