The 54th scientific and research season of the AMU International Interdisciplinary Archaeological Expedition on the site of the Roman legion camp and the early Byzantine city of Novae in the province of Moesia Inferior (today near the town of Svistov in Bulgaria) on the Danube has begun once again. The work is supervised by Dr Elena Klenina from the Faculty of History.
This year's archaeological research will last until 29 July. During the first week of the exploration, work has already concentrated on the site of a presumed residence from the time of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths between 471 and 526 AD. Although it is still a researcher's hypothesis, the first discoveries already make us optimistic, says Professor Elena Klenina. - A courtyard with a columned portico is now exposed, where a well has been preserved, topped by an artistically designed square-shaped embrasure made of a single monumental limestone block. The courtyard is lined with stone slabs.
The discovery in the first week of research also revealed a unique limestone capitol, which qualifies as a so-called fluted capitol in the 'Hellenistic style'. It is only the fifth specimen of this type of capital discovered so far in Novae in over 60 years of research. The newly found chapter is probably from the columnar portico closing the courtyard of the presumed residence of Theodoric the Great to the south.
Source and photo: Życie Uniwersyteckie