Gamzigrad

The Galerius Palace in ancient Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad in Timok Valley in Eastern Serbia is an archaeological site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins around seven kilometers southwest of Zaječar 1835 were first seen and described by August von Herder. The write-up could be with the excavations inside the walled palace in 1953, which brought an inscription with the name of the place Felix Romuliana revealed, clarified. A portrait head of the emperors reserved porphyry confirmed the assumption that the Tetrarchenkaiser Galerius ( 293-311 ) was built as a retirement palace in the late 3rd and early 4th century. The facility was dedicated to his mother Romula, who had been born near here in the province of Dacia. On the nearby hill Magura Galerius made ​​his build and his mother's tomb.

Felix Romuliana was described by Felix Philipp Kanitz as one of the largest and best preserved Roman monuments in Europe and today offers fully intact perimeter wall with 20 powerful, bastion -like and up to 15 m high mounds of towers an imposing image. In 2007, the Galerius Palace was included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.

History

Galerius was a member of the mechanism introduced by Diocletian government college of four emperors, the Tetrarchy. He was appointed to the 293 Caesar ( Under Emperor ) resided in Milan, Nicomedia, and Antioch. Galerius ' main area of ​​responsibility included but especially the Balkans. Here Galerius began in imitation of Diocletian this position through an oriented to his person ruler representation by construction of monumental buildings in the residences highlight (eg Galerius in Thessaloniki ). Military characterized the years 299-311 expeditions against tribes north of the Danube. 305 rose Galerius after the resignation of Diocletian on the Augustus of the eastern half of the empire. As such, he tried to prevent the dissolution of the Roman Tetrarchy in a series of civil wars since 306. Galerius pursued as Diocletian the Christians in his main area of ​​responsibility unabated. Romula, Galerius ' mother, also was a great admirer of the mountain deities.

Galerius was born probably on the estate (villa rustica) his father in Gamzigrad. Discovery of coins of Aurelian ( 270-275 ) and Probus ( 276-282 ) from the exposed oldest buildings in the excavation site suggest that was built and used this villa rustica middle of the 3rd century. Romula probably lived still in the villa rustica. The decision of Galerius, set up his palace as a retirement home here is the Augusti and the repeated decennalia ( ten-year jubilee ) of the Caesars, connected to the vicennalia (twenty -year Jubilee ) on 20 November 303. On the Feast of the Tetrarch in Rome Diocletian announced his plan to resign and Galerius had probably planned to retire to his vicennalia 313 in the palace to be built. Besides Felix Romuliana, the palace, the first of his mother and serve after his abdication and his retirement home should be, Galerius erected on the hill Magura his mother's tomb. After his death in 311, Galerius was buried in a tomb next to second Romula. To the grave complex was still part of a tetra pylon. After the death of Galerius and construction of a burial place for him all other construction activities have been set and leave Felix Romuliana. 380 it came to the re- colonization of Romuliana and it evolved into a rural vicus. 441 destroyed by the Huns, passed in the 5th and early 6th century, some houses in the complex. With the reign of Justinian I, there was a stronger settlement and to build a great basilica with a baptistery. This was followed by destruction in Slavic invasions and in the 10th century was a Slavic settlement, which lasted until the 12th century, built. After that, the place was left up to the present time and fell into disrepair.