Viminacium urbs et castra legionis : research, protection, presentation and valorization

Abstract

The story of the glamour and downfall of the Roman city and military camp of Viminacium has drawn the attention of not only the domestic but also the international scientific public, who eagerly anticipate that Viminacium will take its rightful place in the first rank among the world’s cultural monuments. The ancient city of Viminacium is exceptional in terms of the surface area unencumbered for archaeological investigation (over 1,100 acres/450 hectares for the greater metropolitan area and 540 acres/220 hectares in the city territory proper).1 During the last five decades, the Viminacium necropolis has been excavated and over 14,000 graves identified. The Viminacium project includes a multidisciplinary team consisting of experts in different research fields. Apart from archaeologists, it includes mathematicians, electrical engineers, geophysicists, geologists, petrologists, and experts in artificial intelligence, remote sensing, three-dimensional modelling and formal analysis. Their wish is that the squares and temples, theatres and the hippodrome, baths, streets and city quarters become parts of the Serbian and world heritage and a recognisable symbol of the Serbian Danube valley.