Repository of the Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade (RAI)
Not a member yet
2254 research outputs found
Sort by
Feeding the Army at Viminacium Legionary Fortress: Preliminary Zooarchaeological Evidence
No full textViminacium, one of the most important spots at the Upper Moesian limes, was founded as a legionary camp, where the 7th Claudia legion was stationed from the second half of the 1st century AD, until the late Roman period. Next to the fortress, a city was built and became the capital of the province of Moesia Superior (and Moesia Prima in the late Roman period), while the whole area was surrounded by rural settlements the economy of which was based on agriculture. Up to date research of meat production and provisioning, based on zooarchaeological data from the civilian areas, indicated that the city of Viminacium was mainly supplied by the meat of improved cattle bred in surrounding rural areas, with a significant addition of pork, lamb, and chevon. Recent excavations of the legionary fortress, along with the analysis of animal remains, provided the starting points for the research of meat provisioning of the soldiers stationed in Viminacium. Preliminary zooarchaeological data revealed significant differences between the fortress and civilian areas, mainly in species ratios and mortality profiles of domesticates. This paper will be focused on zooarchaeological data (species ratios, mortality profiles, and biometry) from the Early Roman, Roman, and late Roman features 1 excavated at the north-western part of the fortress that mostly have been attributed to the embankments along the ramparts. By comparing the data from different periods, we will discuss plausible diachronic differences in meat diet and food provisioning for the camp. We will also compare zooarchaeological data from the fortress with contemporary
surrounding civilian areas, to understand better the food supply systems. The questions of whether the army was supplied with animal products locally or from long distance will also be tackled
Who built the Castra Legionis in Viminacium? The Earliest Traces of CBM Production in Viminacium (Moesia Superior)
No full textAncient Viminacium was one of the largest agglomerations in the province of Moesia Superior. The strategic importance of its location suggests an early date for its military occupation, yet up to this date, no traces of the early Roman settlement were identified in this area. Recent excavations have shown that the legionary camp was built in the second half of the 1st century AD. Two legions, legiones VII Claudia and IV Flavia, are well attested on the territory of Viminacium by epigraphic monuments and stamped CBM. The recent finds of stamped CBM seem to indicate that the camp was built by the Legio IV Flavia, prior to its move to Singidunum. In this paper, we will analyze mentioned finds, as well as other traces of the legio IV Flavia in Viminacium. Their epigraphic and morphological characteristics, as well as the preliminary results of the comparative analysis of the corpus and the spatial distribution, indicate that their presence was not a result of mere ’’trade’’, but that they could have been produced on the site. CBM industries of Viminacium were spread across two major production sites, both seemingly run by the Legio VII Claudia. We will re-evaluate the chronology of these sites, their layout, infrastructure, and attribution, as well as the other evidence that could indicate to earliest traces of CBM production in Viminacium
Legio VII Claudia and the amphitheatre of Viminacium
No full textThis paper deals with the legio VII Claudia and its presence in Viminacium. It is also devoted to the architectural elements and building process of the Viminacium amphitheatre, that direct attention to army construction activities and its military use. The Viminacium amphitheatre is located 60 m away from the legionary fortress. Its primary wooden structure that was built next to the fortress in the first quarter of the 2nd century is distinguishable from the stone-wooden amphitheatre which replaced it in the course of the 2nd century. The construction of city ramparts in the late 2nd century led to the integration of the amphitheatre into the area defended by the walls, and the building was used until the first half of the 4th century. Previous investigations on Roman sites within provinces confirmed that amphitheatres were built next to military bases, especially by legionary fortresses. Along the River Danube a few amphitheatres are known, while others are assumed on the basis of remote sensing, geophysical surveys, particular finds and inscriptions, so the example of Viminacium is an important contribution to the study of entertainment buildings and gladiatorial games at the frontiers and their relation to the Roman army
A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia
No full textLiterary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom’s northern provinces. Anatolia exhibited extraordinary continuity down to the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its people serving as the demographic core of much of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome itself. During medieval times, migrations associated with Slavic and Turkic speakers profoundly affected the region
Порекло металних предмета понтско-кавкаских одлика 6-4. века п. н. е. у Србији
Get PDFУ раду ће бити представљени метални налази понтско-кавкаских одлика 6-4. века п. н. е. у Србији, уз покушај да се утврди њихово порекло на основу најближих и најбројнијих аналогија. Предмет анализе су метални производи касних фаза старијег гвозденог доба који се у литератури традиционално везују за Ските, а најчешће укључују карактеристично оружје, функционалне делове коњске опреме и украсне предмете изведене у животињском стилу. Анализа има за циљ допринос одговору на питање провенијенције ових налаза, односно да ли они потичу са територије коју насељавали Скити северно од Црног Мора и на Кавказу или са простора археолошких група са скитоидном материјалном културом у Карпатском басену и Трансилванији
Natural Brick of Viminacium
Get PDFBuilding activity in Viminacium, an important Roman legionary fortress and a city on the Danube in today’s Serbia, was influenced by its natural surroundings. They influenced the position and orientation of the first fortification, built in the 1st century AD, as well as the range of raw materials for the construction of buildings in all of Viminacium’s life phases. The first building material along with wood that Romans encountered after coming to the northern edge of the Stig Plain must have been red burnt soil created by coal combustion, whose source is only a few kilometres from the fortress. The first ramparts were constructed using blocks made of this material, called "crvenka" by the local people, which was used for
building purposes in the wider area until relatively recently. It is very well known that manmade brick was used as an artificial material with pozzolanic features added to Roman lime mortars. Viminacium was a provincial centre of brick production, using local soil as a raw material. Since crvenka can be recognised as a kind of “natural brick” made of local sediments, an assumption was made that it could also have been used in Viminacium lime mortars as a natural pozzolanic addition. After laboratory research of its mineralogical, mechanical, physical, and chemical characteristics, crushed and ground crvenka was mixed
with lime. Mortars with excellent mechanical properties were created, offering us one of the indicators of their possible hydraulicity. With the knowledge of the firing temperatures that could have been developed in Roman brick kilns, this research will be continued. An attempt to determine the temperature that red ceramic fragments, visible in the composition of Viminacium mortars, were fired at, will be made, leading us further towards their possible characterisation as artificial or “natural” brick
Design of Compatible Mortars for a Late Roman Tomb in Serbia
No full textDesign of conservation mortars for architectural heritage is always an ambitious and inspiring task, asking for many diverse requirements to be success-fully harmonised. Principally, conservation mortars need to comply with demanding chemical, mineralogical, textural, and mechanical compatibility criteria. The main aim of this paper is to show the design and development of compatible mortars for conservation of a late Roman tomb in Serbia, situated around the former Danube Limes. It is only a fragment of the MoDeCo2000 project which deals with the research of mortars from the archaeological sites along the Limes, dated to the period from the first to the sixth centuries. Laboratory activities for the sampled mortars included visual observations, stereo-optical and digital microscopy, spec-trophotometry and colourimetry, mineralogical and petrographic analyses, physical– mechanical tests, thermal characterisation, mechanical and chemical separation of aggregates and binders, and characterisation of samples, binders, and aggregates using FTIR, Raman, XRF, and XRD. The obtained results enabled designing of conservation mortars mixtures based on local raw materials. Following laboratory preparation of mortar models and several cycles of mixtures optimisation, the newly developed mortars for the Roman tomb were artificially aged and compared with original samples. The models which successfully fulfilled requirements qualified for application on small test areas of the historical building, and their behaviour was closely monitored in situ. The promising research results directly led to production of compatible mortars for upcoming conservation actions on the Danube Limes in Serbia and contributed to the universal body of knowledge about Roman mortars and architecture
Iron Age and Roman metallurgical activities at the Spasovine placer tin deposit, West Serbia
No full textSpasovine, on the south flank of Mt. Cer in West Serbia, is one of the rare localities where Late Bronze Age placer tin mining activities have been documented. Archeological pedestrian surveys on this river terrace recovered ceramic fragments with metal-rich coatings, thought to be fragments of technical ceramics. The physical characteristics of the “petrol” gray-bodied ceramics are consistent with Roman Period ca. 200-300AD production, while black-bodied sherds are most consistent with Iron Age ceramics of western Serbia. SEM-EDS analysis of polished thin-sections and rough surfaces has shown that the fragments are enriched in various metallic residues (Zn, Sn, Cu, Pb in various combinations). Of the fourteen sherds studied, nine Roman samples contain Zn-rich coatings on the inner surfaces as well as deeper penetration of zinc enrichment into the ceramic interior, consistent with Zn cementation for brass. Three of these also contained younger addition of Sn, indicating that they were repurposed for bronze production at Spasovine. The prehistoric sherds contain tin along with Cu and Pb, consistent with the production of leaded tin bronze, which is not known from the area until the Iron Age (ca. 800-600BC). Thus, Spasovine was the site of itinerant mining and metallurgical activity, at least sporadically, over a period of 1700 years from the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE) to the Roman Period (2nd-3rd century CE). This demonstrates that small deposits of placer tin could have had long-term impact on regional tin economies in ancient Europe
Fibre choices and textile production in the Late Neolithic central Balkans
Get PDFIn this presentation, we will provide an overview of various lines of evidence
related to fibre and textile production during the Late Neolithic in the Central
Balkans (Vinča culture, 5300–4500 BC). It will include a discussion on possible
plant fibre sources, i.e. plants identified in charred archaeobotanical
assemblages and as fibres, with special reference to flax (Linum usitatissimum).
Another aspect of this presentation is related to the technologies of fibre and
textile production. While the remains of textile are rarely found at Neolithic
settlements in the Balkans, its production and use has been documented
indirectly at the majority of them – in the form of spinning implements, loom
weights, bone tools, textile impressions in pottery and clay objects. Such finds
have been examined by different specialists as part of routine material and
typological studies; however, comprehensive analysis of their use in spinning and
weaving, making of clothes or any other related activity has been lacking.
Recently, there has been a change in the analytical approach and an increase in
the level of attention paid to different forms of evidence of textile production.
As a result, the story of technological know-how of textile making in Vinča
communities is slowly beginning to emerge.
By summing up the available records and information, we will reconstruct the
process of textile making – from procurement of fibre plants to the final product
– in the Late Neolithic of the Central Balkans. This will allow us to assess the role
of textile production in the socio-economic life of the Vinča communities, to infer
how this activity shaped everyday life as well as how it contributed to the transfer
of knowledge and social interactions.Link za knjigu apstrakta: https://archaeobotany.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IWGP-2022_Book_of_Abstracts.pd