Summer ’26 with the Centre, V

Another week of research at Novae has flown by.

The steadily falling water level of the Danube is revealing more and more secrets. The observation and recording of finds along the riverbank, originally planned as a one-off survey, have turned into an ongoing Danube adventure.

Clusters of ancient roof tiles and architectural elements have emerged—mainly various types of thresholds, but also the shaft of a column made from so-called Hotnitsa stone. Natural sandstone outcrops, which were exploited by the Roman legionaries, have also been exposed.

All these new data—from Novae, nomen omen—have reopened the discussion about the location of the harbour. Even if the newly recovered material does not ultimately resolve the question, it will undoubtedly greatly enrich our knowledge and provide further pieces of this archaeological puzzle.

And what about the excavation?

Just when we thought that this year’s “quota” of unique finds had been exhausted, the local—and apparently benevolent—Genius loci decided to prove that archaeologists begin using the word “end” far too soon. Our collection has been enriched by two new and exceptionally interesting discoveries.

The first is a superbly preserved bronze figurine of the god Priapus—a rare find in the Lower Danube region. Only a handful of comparable examples are known. This latest figurine is not only remarkably well preserved but was also crafted with extraordinary care and attention to detail.

The second, equally rare discovery is half of the head from a marble statue representing a woman (!), most probably carved from Thasian marble. This means that we are dealing with an official portrait. Did it represent a goddess or perhaps an imperial consort? For the moment, we cannot answer that question. Not because we lack questions—we have far too many of them. The problem is rather that documentation of every kind is accumulating so rapidly that there is simply no time left for detailed analysis.

Only a small number of marble sculptural heads are known from Novae, including the head of Caracalla, two heads of Asclepius, and the heads of Maximinus Thrax and Carinus. Most were discovered reused as spolia in the valetudinarium. Our “New Lady” is therefore the first find of this kind from the new Sector XII at Novae.

There are also seemingly minor discoveries that are nevertheless extremely interesting and provide new insights into everyday life in antiquity.

These include a collection of more than one hundred snail shells—the remains of a meal enjoyed by the medieval “stone robbers” of Novae. Then there are two tegulae bearing the paw prints of a running dog. They apparently first lay side by side in the brickyard and later happened to be placed on the roof in exactly the same order. Coincidence? I think not…

Added to this are fragments of wall paintings from the baths, pieces of barrack walls bearing impressions of wattlework, and amphorae given a second life as containers in the service area.

Everyday life in antiquity is becoming increasingly intertwined with our own daily lives.

The “fridge experiment” continues!

Fortunately for the experiment—although not necessarily for our comfort—the weather is extreme, with temperatures approaching 40°C. These are ideal conditions in which to test the effectiveness of this Roman invention.

Fortunately, our close-knit group of students remains in good spirits, even when working in the heat to level dozens of square metres of rubble from the wooden barracks and clean dozens more metres of walls.

As next week promises to be even busier, we have already captured both our formidable archaeological team and our indispensable workers in a series of group photographs.

We shall see what surprises await us next week. There are still a few archaeological layers left to excavate, and we hope that the aforementioned Genius loci has not fallen into slumber.

So far, he quite clearly seems to be having a wonderful time. And it looks as though we are too.