Roman and Medieval Necropolis in Ravna near Knjaževac

Abstract

Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade in collaboration with the Regional Museum in Knjazevac has been conducting continuously since 1975 systematic archaeological investigations of the Roman fortification Timacum Minus. Project director from 1975 to 1997 was Dr Petar Petrovic who with his collaborators published in the main the results of archaeological investigations as well as the epigraphic monuments from this site.1 Archaeological investigations of fortification Timacum Minus within an area of about 2 ha on the site 'Kuline' revealed in the section of west gate the remains of the earliest earthen fortification with palisade and timber square towers and along the eastern rampart a defensive moat - Iossa dating from the middle of the 1 st century AD. This earliest fortification was garrisoned by Cohors I Thracum Syriaca. Excavations in the west gate section, at the northwest and northeast corner of the fortification as well as the site survey confirmed the first stone fortification of rectangular plan most probably dating from the middle of the 2nd century AD. The size of fortification was 144 m in the east-west direction and 112 m in the north-south direction. This fortification had rounded corners and internal square towers. The west gate 3 m wide was flanked with internal towers and there was matching gate in the east rampart and there were two internal towers of the same shape between corners and gates on the east and west rampart (Plan 1 ).2 Since the time of construction of stone fortification the garrison consisted of Cohors II Aurelia Dardanorum until the Late Roman period, i.e. last decades of the 4th century when they were replaced by pseudocomitatenses Timacenses auxiliari.