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Glava Jupitera (levo)
i Galerijeva bista
od crvenog porfira
(desno)
e
Jupiter‘s bust (left)
and Porphyry bust of
Galerius (right)
e
in his trave book ”Bergmänische
Reise in Serbie im Jahre 1835”.
Afterwards, several notable his-
torians and geologists visited the
site, including Austro-Hungarian
archaeologist Felix Phillip Kanitz,
who said that “Gamzigrad is one of
the most magnificent monuments
of the past...” and “one of the larg-
est and best preserved monuments
of Roman architecture in Europe”.
Unfortunately, interest in the
complex waned, and systematic
archaeological exploration only
started in 1953.
The fortresses consist of two
parallel fortification systems,
which include massive towers con-
nected by walls. The space within
the fortification is divided on a
north-south axis. The Emperor’s
residential complex is located in
the northern part, along with a
small temple, whose dedication
is still uncertain. In front of the
temple, archeologists discovered
parts of a colossal marble statue
depicting Jupiter with an eagle on
his extended right arm. Jupiter was
placed in the central location be-
cause the tetrarchy - the system un-
der which Galerius ruled, was said
to have divine mandate from the
chief Roman deity, and Diocletian,
the creator of the tetrarchy system,
declared himself Jupiter’s repre-
sentative on Earth. Only the official
reception area has been excavated,
conserved and presented, but the
existence of private premises has
been determined through probe
examinations.
The southern part of the forti-
fied space contains public build-
ings – the Jupiter Temple, thermae,
and horreum (a type of warehouse).
Only the Jupiter temple has been
archaeologically excavated, while
the research in the thermae is
still going on. Other buildings in
the southern part have only been
identified by probe examinations.
On the hill Magura, about one
kilometer to the east of the palace,
is a group of commemorative
structures, including the remains
of a mausoleum and monument
dedicated to Emperor Galerius and
his mother Romula. The traces of
the ancient road is visible nearby,
next to the remains of a Tetrapylon
(a Roman crossroads monument).
The architecture of the Imperial
complex has high-quality decora-
tive pillars, capitals and walls, as
well as sculptural decoration. The
floor mosaics stand out for their
beauty, with the well-executed mo-
tives and the exceptional quality of
the material making them among
the most significant in the whole
Roman Empire. The spatial compo-
sition of the buildings of the forti-
fied Imperial Palace and Memorial
is unique for its period.
Gamzigrad-Romuliana has had
a tumultuous history: it started as a
prehistoric village in the 2nd mil-
lennium BC and became a Roman
village in the 2nd century BC.
Galerius built the castle compound
at the end of the 3rd century, and
after his death, it became a church
property in the late 4th century, a
Byzantium settlement in the 5th
century, and finally, a medieval
town in the 11th century. It was be-
sieged by Huns and Avars numer-
ous times, and rose from the ashes,
each time with a different purpose.
Sadly, Gamzigrad was finally aban-
doned in the second half of the 11th
century, and remained lost until
modern excavations.
Witnesses say that some
of dr. Dragoslav Srejović’s last
words were about his worry that
Gamzigrad-Romuliana will fall
into obscurity once more. ”Don’t
let Romuliana, a wealthy chest
gleaming in its magnificent loneli-
ness, become nothing more than a
home to snakes.” With a place on
UNESCO’s World Heritage List,
ongoing archaeological excava-
tions and a growing number of
tourists, it seems like his last wish
- for the compound to flourish - is
coming true.
