A Jewel of National and World Heritage - Viminacium

"Viminacium is absolutely one of Serbia’s foremost brands. In just six years, from derelict fields along the Mlava River known only to professionals, it has become a world attraction visited by tens of thousands of tourists each year", says the director of the Viminacium project, Dr Miomir Korać.

By Zlatica Ivković
Photo by Svetlana Dingarac

Viminacium, once a major city of the Roman province Upper Moesia, which coincided with most of present-day Serbia, parts of Bulgaria and northern Macedonia, was built in the first decades of the first century A.D. on the right bank where the Mlava River flows into the Danube, some 12 kilometres from the city of Požarevac. This is also where the Romans permanently garrisoned a whole legion. A favourable geographic position made it possible for Viminacium to undergo speedy economic development. It is believed the city had a population of some 30,000, considered a large number at the time. It enjoyed the highest status any Roman city could have.

In its five-centuries-long history, Viminacium, a Roman city and a military camp, experienced turbulent development: in the first half of the second century A.D., during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, Viminacium received the status of Roman city, an important milestone in its development. During the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in the third century of the new era, the city was in full flourish and was allowed to mint coins, a privilege reflecting its status, but an epidemic of the plague in the same century affected economic activity. It soon recovered and in the fourth century Viminacium was conferred with yet another manifestation of power; one of the four bishopric seats was located there. There was hardly a single Roman emperor who did not at one time stay a while in this magnificent city. This was where the cultures of the East and the West met to generate development in the arts and crafts. The city was definitively annihilated in the mid-5^th century during an invasion of the Huns. More recent archaeological explorations testify to the fact that it was never rebuilt again on its original site. It was renewed as a military stronghold by Emperor Justinian in the 6^th century, only to fall into oblivion again in the 7^th century with the arrival of the Slavs to the region. The pioneers of scientific excavations at Viminacium included Mihailo Valtrović, in the late 19^th century, followed by Miloje Vasić, a Belgrade Advanced School professor. Exploration was intensified later at the time of the construction of the Kostolac thermo-electrical power plant and the Drmno open pit mine. The last three decades of the past century featured excavations on the site of the ‘city of the dead’ at Viminacium, i.e. discovery of more than 13,500 necropolises in which over 700 silver and gold objects were found.

Since 2002, research at this excavation site became internationalised. Heading the team of researchers is Dr. Miomir Korać, the Viminacium project director, archaeologist and scientific worker at the Archaeological Institute of the Serbian Arts and Sciences Academy in Belgrade.

There have been several major breakthroughs at the ancient Viminacium site. The interest of tourists to visit the Archaeological Park has grown considerably, especially in the wake of the recent sensational discovery of the five-million-year-old skeleton of a mammoth near the Imperial Mausoleum. Please tell us more about this discovery and when will the skeleton to be presented to the public?

– The latest discovery shows that treasuries in Serbia may be found in the most unlikely places. The case of Viminacium in recent years has yielded so much cultural treasure from the Roman Empire period that when one thinks of ancient Romans in Serbia, the first association is Stari Kostolac and the Viminacium Archaeological Park. The Park, which we have been engaged on building for years, is the first thing of this kind in Serbia. This is an opportunity to show the broadness of our horizons, that we are not placing only our Roman legacy into the foreground. By struggling to preserve Viminacium, we wish to set, and if need be, to impose a model for preserving and presenting our legacy in its entirety - regardless of which period it comes from. The Miocene and the five-million-year-old mammoth are a long way from the Romans, but this is what we have – unique and precious! A true scientist and protector must adopt an even-handed approach to things that go beyond his immediate field of study! This is also how we reacted – with lighting speed and efficaciously.

The mammoth lies in the Miocene geological layer, which is between four and five million years old. Ongoing analyses have yet to confirm whether the discovered species is indeed that of the Mammuthus meridionalis, as initially thought, in which case chronological boundaries of this species, or of its ancestor, need to be broadened. At any event, this discovery is of extraordinary importance. Whatever the results of the analyses, this is the oldest animate thing discovered in the Balkan region and in southeastern Europe. The wholly preserved fossil dating back to five million years ago is certainly a significant discovery on the international scale.

The mammoth remains are quite frail, especially for having lain in the sandy layer. Normally, we would expect to find this degree of bone preservation in clay layers. So, in situ conservation is imperative precisely for this reason. Any attempt to move the bones could result in their unstoppable decay. The conservation process is ongoing. Parallel with conservation, a protective structure is being put up that we hope will at some time in the future become a sort of natural history museum within the Archaeological Park. The mammoth has thus far been viewed by such a multitude of people that at certain points its safety was threatened. We never expected it would invite such great interest. Activities aimed at protecting and presenting continue and we expect the mammoth to become part of the Archaeological Park’s regular tour programme this coming autumn.

Raising the issue of its presentation to the public is quite superfluous because it is precisely through the media that the public has full insight into any advance made in research and the type of work performed. All newspapers, here and abroad, have carried not only the news of its discovery, but also numerous photographs. It rarely happens that the public has such detailed insight into an exploration process that has not yet been scientifically concluded. The number of stories that appeared on the Internet exceeded several thousand, because, if one types several key words such as Kostolac, mammoth or Viminacium, a new item appears every two minutes.

Owing to your engagement, Viminacium has established its place on the tourist maps of Serbia and Europe. The Viminacium Archaeological Park, near the city of Kostolac, is currently one of the major tourist attractions in Serbia. Would it be right to call it a Serbian brand?

– Viminacium is absolutely one of the biggest Serbian brands. In just six years, the story has progressed from derelict fields by the Mlava River known only to professional researchers it has become a world attraction toured by tens of thousands of tourists. It has become a protected cultural legacy that is making money. Foreigners who come to Viminacium sometimes rank it among Europe’s most frequently visited locations.

Construction work is currently nearing completion on the Viminacium Centre. This is a science and research centre built in the style of an ancient Roman imperial villa. It will provide accommodation to a school that trains young professionals, to a convention hall and 1,000 square metres off museum space for displaying antique items...

– Domus Scientiarum, as we now call this science, research and tourism centre, is indeed a singular architectural solution for a facility that is expected to meet such broad-based needs required by an archaeological park. Huddled around a central atrium are smaller ones, each of which represents a whole in its own right offering a different programme. One wing is intended for the research team, another wing for the laboratories and to the classical and digital libraries, the third wing will accommodate and be at the disposal of the tourists who will stay at the facility. The museum, which has a central place, takes up the largest portion within the Domus. The whole facility was conceived as the functionally most important section of the Archaeological Park and will represent the backbone of its financial sustainability. The facility will enable not only further research and presentations but the income it generates will also provide for this to be done much faster and more efficiently.

You have said earlier that a 400-metre square mosaic depicting the sky and the stars will be placed on the ceiling of the underground museum. Is it true that it is being put together after the model of the Galla Placidia Mausoleum in Ravenna using special Murano glass from the internationally renowned workshop of Orsoni from Venice?

– A monumental facility such as the Domus must have some artistic idiosyncrasy that places it above ordinary museums. The museum ceiling will be the masterpiece that makes it stand apart. The Murano glass used to put the mosaics together refracts light to create the impression of a starry sky with nuances that leave the visitor breathless.

Parallel with the construction of the Viminacium Centre to be completed by the end of the summer, work continues on excavating the amphitheatre - the sole ancient amphitheatre on the territory of Serbia - with more than 12,000 seats to be used for concert and theatre performances... What is planned after this work has been completed?

– The amphitheatrer is the heart of the urban core of a city such as Viminacium was. Not every city could have an amphitheatre; this has now become quite apparent. A building such as this one ranked a city high as compared to other cities of the Roman Empire. But excavating one such monumental structure must not be done solely for the sake of excavation, regardless of the great attention it invites among researchers. Allowing it to become overgrown in weeds after excavation and to disappear in some dusty publications will be tantamount to exposing it to the destruction it suffered at the hands of the Huns long ago. A building such as the amphitheatre must live on. We have examples in Germany absolutely proving this. The festivals held there rally tens of thousands of people, which is often more than the facility’s capacity. So, we are not inventing anything new, or experimenting. Vivifying a facility such as this one by holding concerts, festivals, theatre performances…even staging mock gladiator fights…is something that will leave an indelible impression on coming generations. Modern-day forms of presentation can ensure protection of archaeological remains while at the same time affording it the identical function it had nearly two thousand years ago – as well as provide great entertainment to visitors.

Is there any events aimed at promoting the site and national cultural heritage are planned at Viminacium again this year?

– This year, we are focusing on the completion of construction work on the Domus, the science and research centre. The situation in which our country, our science and our culture have found themselves has forced us to focus on researching the amphitheatre, protecting the mammoth and completing construction work on the infrastructure that will enable us to make up for everything in the coming years. It has been agreed on with Carlo Donadio of the Rome Opera House to produce the opera Aida at the Viminacium amphitheatre next year. In 2011, Viminacium will host a Mediterranean classical drama festival at the Roman amphitheatre. These plans speak clearly of the potential of such a facility capable of seating 12,000 people.

You have also announced the opening of a modern spa centre blended into an environment such as appeared in the 3^rd and the 4^th centuries, at a time when Roman legionaries were quartered at Viminacium. When is this centre due to be presented to the public and what will it look like?

– The spa centre is an integral part of the Domus. This is one of the main sections of the tourist offer of facilities of this type. It is designed to recreate the appearance of ancient thermae (Roman bath-houses), also explored at Viminacium. On the other hand, they will offer all the amenities of a modern spa centre. In my view, precisely this combination of the ancient and the modern is what our visitors will find appealing. This has been our goal all along – to place present-day comforts in a recreated environment of the Roman Empire.

Apart from the funds secured from Serbian institutions, excavation and other work on the ancient amphitheatre at Viminacium was made possible thanks to donations. Who were the donors?

– The amphitheatre exploration is the result of long-standing cooperation between the Viminacium project and the American Embassy in Belgrade. The Archaeological Park was officially inaugurated during a joint of Andreas Zobel and Michael Polt, the ambassadors of Germany and the United States, respectively. Soon after, aid was forthcoming in equipment and assistance in publishing, and US Ambassador Cameron Munter presented a $30,000-dollar grant to launch exploration of the Roman amphitheatre. Every pioneering work is difficult, but the support they extended to us is a clear sign that they have recognised the significance of Viminacium and its proper presentation.

Viminacium can also be reached from the Danube. How many ships with tourists do you expect to visit the site through the end of the year?

– For the past two years ships have been bringing tourists to Viminacium. We have achieved a very good level of cooperation with Uniworld and Viking River Cruise. A total of some 80 ships are expected to dock by the end of the year. They nearly all belong to foreign companies. The local ship, Sirona, has made several trips too, but the problem of Serbian shipping is a lack of larger tourist river ships capable of covering the distance to Viminacium.