VIVERE MILITARE EST From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier Volume I BELGRADE 2018 VIVERE MILITARE EST From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPHIES No. 68/1 VIVERE MILITARE EST From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier VOM LU E I Belgrade 2018 PUBLISHER PROOFREADING Institute of Archaeology Dave Calcutt Kneza Mihaila 35/IV Ranko Bugarski 11000 Belgrade Jelena Vitezović http://www.ai.ac.rs Tamara Rodwell-Jovanović [email protected] Rajka Marinković Tel. +381 11 2637-191 GRAPHIC DESIGN MONOGRAPHIES 68/1 Nemanja Mrđić EDITOR IN CHIEF PRINTED BY Miomir Korać DigitalArt Beograd Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade PRINTED IN EDITORS 500 copies Snežana Golubović Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade COVER PAGE Nemanja Mrđić Tabula Traiana, Iron Gate Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade REVIEWERS EDITORiaL BOARD Diliana Angelova, Departments of History of Art Bojan Ðurić, University of Ljubljana, Faculty and History Berkeley University, Berkeley; Vesna of Arts, Ljubljana; Cristian Gazdac, Faculty of Dimitrijević, Faculty of Philosophy, University History and Philosophy University of Cluj-Napoca of Belgrade, Belgrade; Erik Hrnčiarik, Faculty of and Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford; Philosophy and Arts, Trnava University, Trnava; Gordana Jeremić, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade; Kristina Jelinčić Vučković, Institute of Archaeology, Miomir Korać, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade; Zagreb; Mario Novak, Institute for Anthropological Ioan Piso, Faculty of History and Philosophy Research, Zagreb; Ivana Popović, Institute of University of Cluj-Napoca; Mirjana Živojinović, Archaeology, Belgrade; Julia Valeva, Institute for Art Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia; Miloje Vasić, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade EDITORiaL BOARD SECRETARY Jelena Anđelković Grašar ISBN 978-86-6439-035-4 Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade ISBN 978-86-6439-036-1 C ONTENTS 7 Preface Miomir Korać 9 Ivana Popović The State Propaganda and the Art: Monuments from the Serbian Part of Limes Region 35 Miroslav Vujović, Jelena Cvijetić The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune: Long-Range Fighting Units on the Roman Limes in Serbia 65 Sofija Petković Fibulae and Roman Army on Danube in Moesia Superior 131 Gordana Jeremić, Dragana Antonović, Selena Vitezović Craftsmanship Along the Middle Danubian Limes 169 Nadežda Gavrilović Vitas Roman Religion and Cults on the Danube Limes in Serbia 197 Gordana Jeremić, Olivera Ilić Evidence of Early Christianity on the Danube Limes, from Singidunum to Aquae 247 Olivera Ilić, Gordana Jeremić Early Christian Finds on the Middle Danube Limes 291 Ivan Bugarski, Vujadin Ivanišević Sixth-Century Foederati from the Upper Moesian Limes: Weapons in a social context 333 Jelena Anđelković Grašar Image as a Way of Self-representation, Association and Type Creation for Late Antique Women on the Central Balkans Vivere Militare Est. From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier PREFACE Miomir Korać, Director Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade The border of the Roman Empire with the outer world consisted of a row of military strongholds built along its 7,500 kilometres of length: from Britain, over the Rhine and the Danube, all the way to the Middle East and Africa. Today, all of these monuments make up part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. During the 1st century AD, after having founded the provinces of Pannonia and Moesia on the territory of modern Serbia, the Roman Empire established a fortification system with watchtowers and roads (limes) along the Danube. In time, cities and smaller settlements developed around them. Apart from the strate- gic importance of the Danube valley, especially at the end of the 3rd and in the 4th century, huge urban complexes developed in this region, like the legionary forts of Singidunum (Belgrade) and Viminacium (Stari Kostolac), the capital of the prov- ince, but later on also Naissus (Niš), with the nearby imperial residences of Medi- ana, Horreum Margi (Ćuprija) and others. Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica) holds a special place, for a while also being one of the capitals of the Roman Empire, along with fortified palace complexes in Romuliana (Gamzigrad) and Šarkamen. During the 17th century, interest in Roman sites grew in this region. The ear- liest archaeological research was initiated at the end of the 19th century, conduct- ed by the earliest Serbian archaeologist with a university degree. During the last hundred years, numerous sites along the Danube have been excavated, especially during the extensive construction projects of the hydro power-plant in Đerdap (Iron Gates). Research of the large legionary forts of Singidunum and Viminaci- um continue to the present day. The intense life that developed on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, in mili- tary and civilian settlements, is best reflected in the numerous remains of its mate- rial culture. The event of the XXIV Limes Congress in Belgrade and Viminacium encouraged Serbian experts to present our research to the world’s scientific elite. Readers are presented with two volumes, with papers intended to show everyday life along the Limes and its hinterland. The excavations in Đerdap represent a 7 Vivere Militare Est. From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier starting point in the study of fortifications, military infrastructure, road networks, but also all of the other aspects of life on the Roman border. Apart from studying the military and its strategy, civil engineering, crafts or arts, researchers have also investigated spiritual culture, Roman religion and cults, as well as the early Chris- tianity of our region. During the last decades, there has been huge progress in the investigation of not only the military, but also the private aspect of life on the Roman border along the Danube valley. Anthropological and archeo-zoological research has revealed answers regarding the influence of historical circumstanc- es on the social and health status of rural, urban and military populations, their paleo-demographic structure, economic relationships and diet, levels of health care, everyday crafts and habits and their relationship with children, but also a reconstruction of their funerary practices. All of the research has been and will continue to be focused on one goal - un- derstanding the unique nature of the Limes, what it was like to actually live on the borders of the Roman Empire. We hope that with this publication, we have made at least one significant step towards this goal. 8 Vivere Militare Est. From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier S TATE PROPAGANDA AND ART: MONUMENTS FROM THE SERbiaN SECTION OF THE LIMES REGION* Ivana Popović, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The best representatives of Roman Empire state propaganda are the structures built by the emperors, their portraits, coins issued in their names and works of applied art. In different historical periods, these monuments carried a different political mes- sage. The monuments of art from the Serbian section of the Limes and its hinterland clearly show that this region was of exceptional importance, not only for the defence of the Empire but also for the consolidation of the official imperial propaganda. The large number of porphyry sculptures found in the territory of present day Serbia re- veals the importance of that territory from a strategic-propagandistic point of view. Despite being situated within palatial complexes, these sculptures were erected at exceptionally important strategic locations where the presence of the army and ac- tivities connected with its actions were clearly confirmed. Key words: Roman art, Roman state propaganda, portraits of Roman emperors, porphyry sculptures. 1 *This article is the result of the project Romanisation, urbanisation and transformation of urban centres of civil, military and residential character in Roman provinces in the territory of Serbia (no 177007) founded by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. 9 Vivere Militare Est. From Populus to Emperors - Living on the Frontier The best representatives of Roman Empire state propaganda are the structures built by the emperors, their portraits, coins issued in their names and works of ap- plied art. In different historical periods these monuments carried a different polit- ical message. Bearing in mind that the protection of the frontiers was always one of the priority tasks, the considerable number of monuments discovered in the centres along the Limes and in its hinterland were great artistic achievements but also played a significant part in the imperial propaganda The monument which denotes Trajan’s strategic preparations for the war against the Dacians on the Dan- ube represents a distinctive work of art. Trajan renovated and widened the road along the Danube, the construction of which had started as early as the reign of Tiberius. The restoration or construction of the section through the Iron Gates is attested by the inscription known as the “Tabula Traiana”, from AD 100. Placed on a rock above the Danube in the Lower Gorge and carved in the shape of a temple facade with a tympanum, it reveals a complex iconographic composition. Below the tympanum is a frieze with an eagle and winged genii. Below the tympanum is the inscription tablet shaped as a tabula ansata whose triangular ends are decorat- ed with rosettes and behind them are the dolphins. The tablet with the inscription is supported by a nude male, a personification of the Danube, i.e. the river god (fluvius) Danubius (Fig.1).1 The fact that Danubius is supporting the inscription plaque emphasises that the emperor is celebrating his successful war against the Dacians in the presence of the river god, who helped him to achieve the victories under the protection of Jupiter. In his first war against the Dacians (AD 101-102), Trajan defeated the Dacian king Decebalus, but failed to capture his capital city, Sarmisegetusa, and conquer his kingdom. It was obvious to both sides that the peace that was concluded was only a short-lived armistice.