VIMINACIUM When parts of Roman baths dating back almost 20 centuries were exca- vated from fields near the thermal power stations in Kostolac at the end of the last millennium, locals and archaeologists certain- ly didn’t “invent hot water”. But they did uncover the Roman city of Viminacium, which had covered an ar-
ea of more than 500 hectares from the first to the fifth cen- turies AD and was home to around 35,000 inhabitants, com- plete with thermal baths, an amphitheatre, villas, a necropolis, military barracks etc. And both those who know and those who don’t know why it is said in jest today “you invented hot water” should come to Viminacium, which is one of the ten largest archae- ological sites from the Roman period anywhere in the world and is located just around a hundred kilo- metres from Belgrade. The former military camp still preserves an aqueduct and sarcophagi that tell the sto- ry of the courage of Romans and the special status that this city enjoyed during that era. Gaining the status of a colony in the 3 rd century enabled the city to issue its own money, and tourists who vis- it its ruins gain an insight into the unique Roman tech- nique of minting coins. Viminacium was repeatedly se- lected as a place to concentrate the army and as the point of embarkation for numerous wars. The city’s position on the plains, in the last spacious area ahead of the Đerdap ‘Iron Gates’ Gorge, was ideal for the grouping of major military forces. An amphitheatre, monumental buildings and traces of developed infrastructure have been uncovered in and around the city. The fact that no modern settlement exists on the site above the Roman ruins provides a unique opportunity to get acquainted with all aspects of life in antiquity.
Beograd
Kostolac
Viminacijum Kada su krajem prošlog milenijuma iz njiva kod ter- moelektrana u Kostolcu iskopali delove rimskih ter- mi starih gotovo 20 vekova, meštani i arheolozi sva- kako nisu izmislili toplu vodu. Ali jesu otkrili rimski grad Viminacijum, koji se od 1. do 5. veka prostirao na više od 500 hektara sa oko 35.000 stanovnika i imao je terme, amfiteatar, vile, nekropolu, vojnu kasarnu... I ko zna i ko ne zna zašto se danas podrugljivo kaže „izmi- slio si toplu vodu“ trebalo bi da dođe na jedno od deset najvećih arheoloških nalazišta iz rimskog perioda na sve- tu – Viminacijum, udaljen svega stotinak kilometara od Beograda. Nekadašnji vojni logor i dalje čuva akvadukt i sarkofage koji pričaju priču o hrabrosti Rimljana i poseb- nom statusu koji je ovaj grad uživao u to doba. Status ko- lonije, dobijen u 3. veku, omogućio je gradu da izdaje sopstveni novac, a turistima koji posete njegove ostatke uvid u jedinstvenu rimsku tehniku kovanja novca. Viminacijum je više puta biran za mesto okupljanja vojske i polaznu tačku u mnogobrojnim ratovima. Položaj grada u ravnici, poslednjem širokom prostoru pred Đerdapsku klisuru, bio je idealan za grupisanje velikih vojnih snaga. Unutar i oko grada otkriveni su amfiteatar, monumental- ne zgrade i tragovi razvijene infrastrukture. Činjenica da se na lokalitetu ne nalazi savremeno naselje nad rimskim ostacima pruža jedinstvenu priliku za upoznavanje svih aspekata života u antici.
Rimski grad Viminacijum se od 1. do 5. veka prostirao na više od 500 hektara i imao je oko 35.000 stanovnika The Roman city of Viminacium covered an area of more than 500 hectares from the first to the fifth centuries AD and was home to around 35,000 inhabitants
Tracks of Rome » Rimski tragovi | 81
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