Ceramic building materials of Viminacium

Abstract

Ceramic building materials1 were one of the key building materials of the Roman Empire. They were introduced to the area of the province of Moesia Superior and ancient Viminacium by the Romans. Prior to their arrival, the province was sparsely urbanised, and in the following centuries, Viminacium grew to be its largest agglomeration2. The site is located in Eastern Serbia, next to the modern town of Kostolac, on the right bank of the Mlava river, near its confluence with the Danube. It was first established as a legionary camp (castrum legionis), whose oldest phase dates to the Flavian period. In the late 1st - early 2nd century, a civilian settlement developed to the west of the camp. The city gained the status of municipium in AD 117, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, and in AD 239, during the reign of Emperor Gordianus III it was granted the status of colonia. The city and its surroundings were destroyed by the Huns in AD 441 and never again regained its former glory.