FROM NAISSUS to SERDICA and from SOFIA to NIŠ Natasa
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МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 LESSONS FROM HISTORY ABOUT METROPOLITAN GENOME – FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Natasa Zivaljevic Luxor1, Nadja Kurtovic Folic2, Hartmut Pasternak3 NHF Serbia, BTU Germany Abstract: In rapidly changing world, growth of population causes sublimation of urban areas to cities, metropolitan areas and megacities. “Bigger” means more efficient and stronger. Therefore, concern about size means concern about economy, social progress and vitality. In this paper, we discuss lessons from Roman times about socio-economic development between Naissus and Serdica and their relevance for contemporary urban area between Sofia and Niš. In other words, we discuss metropolitan genome and relevance of historical structure along this axe, which is approximately axe of VIA MILITARIS, for well-being of inhabitants of designated area, nowadays. Key words: Naissus, Serdica, metropolitan development, socio-economic prosperity 1. Introduction The works on Corridor 10, which is the working title of highway from Niš to Bulgarian border (Fig. 1), led to discoveries of many archaeological sites (Fig. 2). Fig. 1. Location of East branch of Corridor 10 1 Nataša Živaljević Luxor, Doctor of architectural sciences, [email protected] 2 Nadja Kurtović Folić, Full Professor, [email protected] 3 Hartmut Pasternak, Full Professor, [email protected] 141 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 Fig. 2. List of archaeological sites discovered along Corridor 10 from Nis to Serbian border (Source: Archaeological Institute of Serbian Academy of Science and Art) 142 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 This route has been in use since Roman times. The network of Roman roads started being constructed in 2nd c. B.C, and by 2nd c. AD it became the biggest transportation network that ever existed. The route remained essential during Late Antiquity and Byzantine period, as well as in later periods, until nowadays. It ends in Istanbul, the Imperial city (“Carigrad” or Constantinople) (Fig. 1.). The Corridor 10 accidentally overleapt the route of VIA MILITARIS, while contemporary spatial planners decoded landscape for optimal highway route. The landscape line remained essentially unchanged over centuries, and common sense in decision-making process led to similar outcome in many segments. In Roman times, villages were located along the route for practical reasons: for efficient travel, it was necessary to change the horses after 10 Roman miles (14.81 km) and lodging for travelers was available approximately after every 25 miles (in fact, usually 20-30 miles i.e. every 30-45km). That rhythm was uncompromising – and the rule serves nowadays for prediction of new archaeological sites. For example, starting from assumption that there must exist a station for changing horses, archaeologists discovered a heritage site in Nishevac, 34km from Nish. 2. VIA MILITARIS VIA MILITARIS (or VIA DIAGONALIS) was built in 1st c AD. Serdica (nowadays Sofia) was proved to exist much earlier, and in 1st c. it was conquered by Romans. Naissus (nowadays Nish) was mentioned in Roman documents much later, in 3rd c., as military campus. The major Roman roads were approximately 6-9m wide; they were paved by stone and laid on several layers of gravel and sand. The construction of The Corridor 10 revealed well preserved section of VIA MILITARIS, well preserved chariot (a light type, designed for fast travellers) (Fig. 3.) and 2 milestones, out of 3 discovered on the territory of Serbia by now (Fig. 4). It is known that contemporary roads are constructed based on similar concepts of those of Roman roads (Fig. 5, 6 and 7.) Fig. 3. VIA MILITARIS Up (1) and Down (2) 143 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 Fig. 4. Milestones along Roman roads (left) and milestones discovered at Corridor 10 (right and down) (3) (2) Fig. 5. Structure of Roman roads in Antiquity (4) Fig. 6. Roman road section compared to contemporary (5) 144 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 3. Lessons from Roman times about socio-economic development between Naissus and Serdica Soon after the development of Imperial Roman state reached its peak in 2nd c. AD, the cities started to decline. Signs of decadency of urban areas were numerous, e.g. abandonments of huge villas, division of big houses between several families, quick relocation of families from countryside to cities, bringing livestock and countryside lifestyle with themselves while looking for asylum in better protected cities, using debris for repairing buildings etc. Those trends appeared earlier in the West than in the East of Balkans. Many Emperors originated from Eastern parts, which brought prosperity during their reign at least locally. Only reforms of Diocletian and Constantine brought period of prosperity across provinces, and later also those of Justinian (6) (Fig. 7. and 8.). Fig. 7. Provinces (Source: Wikipedia) Fig. 8. “Map of Illyricum with marked prominent archaeological sites…” (6) 145 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 Naisuss and Serdica benefited more than other cities in some periods due to a fact that Constantine was born in Naisuss, and St. Helena, the Emperor`s mother, is said to have close ties with Serdica (she was even said to be born there but Procopius claimed differently). The road, which connected two cities, was intensively used in peace and war times which was another reason for benefit. 4. Development challenges of the area between Sofia and Nish In contemporary terms, the area between Sofia and Nish is an example of transit- orientated development (TOD). Villages and towns are located along the route, which raises some safety issues, but nevertheless encourages trade and bring certain prosperity. In the past, the prosperity was badly influenced by state borders, which implied firm borders of political and military alliances. After the end of The Cold War, political circumstances changed, but not for better in all terms. Bulgaria joined EU and NATO, while Serbia faced civil wars and consequently a short war with NATO on 1999. Both Serbia and Bulgaria passed from state run economy to market system, which also means trough a necessary gap in transition( Fig. 9.), and that gap is what is considered in daily life “economic and political turmoil” of recent decades. Fig. 9. Transition gap passing from state run economy to market system (7) The prosperity brought by transit was commonly not considered sufficient for good quality of life of local inhabitants in designated area. General trend were not favorable: global trend of relocation from rural to urban areas, and impoverishment due to transition in both countries in 1990s. The challenges of socioeconomic development nowadays are mainly: poverty, demographic aging and depopulation. 5. Metropolitan genoma Urban centralities develop usually around historic cores. They include social facilities and further housing development growth. In their vicinity, emerge new developments. Later, at some distance, appear additional infrastructure networks and utilities, large regional facilities, interurban road network, industrial areas, periphery commercial centers etc. (Fig. 10). If such urban centralities interact among themselves in what-is-called here metro-matrix balanced urban development, a metropolis emerges. Alternatively, lack of balance in urban centralities leads to their decline and consecutive abandonment. It is obvious that historic core can be demolished after the urban centrality is fully defined (which sometimes happens with excuse of land efficiency in favor of more commercial purposes) however it is hardly recommendable, for numerous social reasons. 146 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BASA'2019 Furthermore, one of the most efficient ways of preventing any development of urban centrality is demolishing its historic core at the very begging. Fig. 10. Urban centrality (7) Development of metropolises matters for a simple reason: in contemporary world, size of urban area matters. The analyses reveal that socioeconomic prosperity is concentrated in huge urban areas. There are very few examples where socioeconomic benefits are spread all over a state, in a balanced way (Germany being one of them). Cities are „hardware + software“, and that means, in different words, that prosperity requires both Knowledge i.e human resources (skills) and social capital (governance), and Finance (construction and infrastructure) (Fig. 11). Fig. 11. Metropolitan governance (7) 6. Discussion: significance of built heritage for well-being of residents nowadays As commonly known, built heritage management advanced significantly since 1980s, and there are numerous models for built/natural heritage based urban development. Culture acts as “a glue”, or “a catalyst” both for development of urban centralities and for generating of metro-matrix. That is why culture should be added to a metropolitan governance triad society, economy and environment (Fig. 11), as forth element. Although, experience proves that heritage sites help socio-economic development, the archaeological site in Crnokliste has become sad example of what happened to historical structures along the Corridor 10(Fig. 12.). 147 МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ БАНИ’2019 INTERNATIONAL