Summer ’23 with the Centre II

13 06 2023

Most likely, some are waiting for news from the dig. Unfortunately they will appear a little later due to technical problems beyond our control. However, this year’s excavation campaign of the Center continues and brings interesting discoveries.
The weather is playing tricks on us this year. This time we are struggling with very unstable and rainy weather and large fluctuations in the
temperatures. Zeus spares us neither violent storms nor hailstorms…..

During the campaign we were in for a surprise.

Every year Novae hosts the international festival “Eagle on the Danube” during which a scientific conference and demonstrations of Roman army drill, gladiator fights, and battle re-enactments took place. These events are accompanied with a picnic and various artistic performances. During the festival, two awards are given to people especially dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage and the promoting knowledge of antiquity.
This year the honorary guest of this international event was the Director of the Center, Professor Piotr Dyczek. He received – by decision of the City Council – as the first in the entire series, both awards: Golden Eagle and a special diploma. The awards were presented by the mayor of Svištov Dr. Gencho Genchev in the presence of the chairman of the Committee on Culture of the Bulgarian Parliament. The laudation was delivered by Prof. Pavlina Vladkova of Veliko Tarnovo.
The ceremony was accompanied by an honorary drill by a detachment of Legio I Italica, a legate of the legion and Roman senators…..
From a distance, greetings to the laureate were also loudly announced by the gathered barbarian warriors.

Prof. P. Dyczek also delivered an opening speech at an international conference on the protection of world cultural heritage and the development of tourism aimed at presenting the ancient past of the countries bordering the Lower Danube.

During talks with the parliamentary representative, the mayor and those responsible for heritage protection and tourism development, plans were discussed for the development of the archaeological park in Novae including the conservation of Roman buildings, most notably the unique military hospital – the valetudinarium. A Roman hospital latrine, reconstructed many years ago by the Center, is scheduled for restoration this year.

The stay in Novae was also an excuse to start preparing for an excavation campaign in August and September. Although the section looks very romantic, it is completely overgrown with colorful flowers, tall grasses, shrubs and even small trees – all the result of a very rainy spring. Unfortunately, also some of the trench walls have eroded. Major cleanup work awaits, some of which will be done before the excavations begin.

Also at the archaeological base in Novae, amortization repairs, cleanup work and equipment purchases slowly begins. We hope, therefore, that the campaign will run smoothly and produce intervening results.

Now the excavations in Montenegro begin, still with rapidly changing weather. The lower city area will be studied.

We hope that the technical troubles will subside soon and we will already be able to report on the progress of our work.