Fieldwork at Novae 2012

Abstract

The Roman legionary fortress of Novae, oncethe headquarters for the 1st Italic legion (Legio I Italica) in the province of Moesia inferior, lies in northern Bulgaria, not far from modern Svištov, on the right bank of the danube. Excavations have been in progress for more than 50 years now. 1 The year 2012 (1 August – 9 November) marks the second campaign of fieldwork at the new Sector 12, in the right latus praetorii, east of the principia, south of the via principalis (Fig. 1) on the premises of the fortress. 2 The most important task here is to establish what sort of structure was located at Novae close to the headquarters building. According to a standard Roman fortress layout, either the praetorium, the houses of the immunes 3 or legionary 1 T. dERdA, P. dyCzEK, J. KoLENdo (eds.), Novae. Legionary Fortress and Late Antique Town, vol. I: A Companion to the Study of Novae, Warsaw 2008 – includes a complete bibliography for the years 1726–2008. Annual reports are published in “Archeologia” (Warsaw). See also: T. SARNoWSKI, The Name of Novae in Lower Moesia, “Archeologia” (Warsaw) LvIII (2007), 2009, 15–23; A. BIERNACKI (ed.), Novae. Studies and Materials, vols. I–III, Poznań 1995–2008. There are altogether three Polish teams excavating at Novae, one of which is from the Antiquity of South-eastern Europe Research Centre from the University of Warsaw. our research is kindly supported by the University of Warsaw and the Ministry of Science and higher Education. 2 For the first campaign see: M. LEMKE, Fieldwork at Novae 2011, “Światowit” IX (L)/A (2011), 2012, 195–200. 3 h. v. PETRIKovITS, Die Innenbauten römischer Legionslager während der Prinzipatszeit, Abhandlungen der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 56, opladen 1975, 43–49. 4 “hyginus”, De munitione castrorum, 21; vEGETIUS, Epitoma rei militaris, II 6,8; d. BREEzE, The Organization of the Legion: The First Cohort and the Equites Legionis, “Journal of Roman Studies” 59, 1969, 50–55; S. FRERE, Hyginus and the First Cohort, “Britannia” 11, 1980, 51–60; h. v. PETRIKovITS, Die Innenbauten…, 38–42; d. dAvISoN, The Barracks of the Roman Army from the 1st to 3rd Centuries A.D., oxford 1989, 52. 5 Cf. T. SARNoWSKI, Novae – Western Sector 1989, “Archeologia” (Warsaw) XLII, 1991, 133; T. SARNoWSKI, L. KovALEvSKAJA, J. KANISzEWSKI, Novae – Castra Legionis, 2003–2005, “Archeologia” (Warsaw) LvI (2005), 2006, 141–162. 6 The street has been researched further to the south by T. SARNoWSKI: cf. Novae – Sektor Zachodni, 1981, “Archeologia” (Warsaw) XXXIv, 1983, 150–153, fig. 15:1. barracks should be located here, possibly those housing the first cohort.