Roman and Early Byzantine Town and Fortifications in Gamzigrad, Eastern Serbia

Abstract

This paper presents a review of more than 50 years of archaeological research in Gamzigrad – Felix Romuliana. This site in the Timok valley, near Zaječar in Eastern Serbia is well known as the residence of the Roman emperor Galerius (294 – 305 AD), one of the rulers of the First Tetrarchy. The fortified imperial palace and the imperial funeral complex on Magura Hill, to the east of the residence, were inscribed on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list in 2007. The author presents the new findings of the archaeological research in the first decade of the 21st century in Gamzigrad, which shed a new light on the periods before and after the construction of the imperial palace. The new data relating to the Roman settlement prior to Galerius’ palace and the continuity of life in the Late Roman Romuliana and Medieval Gamzigrad are also discussed in the article.