Timacum Minus (, also known as ) is archeological site located in Ravna Reka,

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Site was declared

Monument of Culture of Great Importance Immovable Cultural Heritage of Exceptional Importance (/) are those objects of Immovable Cultural Heritage of Serbia, cultural heritage that enjoy the highest level of state protection in the Republic of Serbia. Immovable Cultural Heritage is classi ...

in 1979, and it is protected by

Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Timacum Minus is the oldest military fort in the

Timok Valley The Timok Valley (; ; ) is a geographical region in east Serbia around the Timok River. The Timok Valley corresponds to parts of two Serbian districts ( Bor and Zaječar), with a total 2022 census population of 200,785. Name The Serbian name is ...

, eastern Serbia.

Geography

Timacum Minus and its counterpart ''Timacum Maius'' (near

Svrljig Svrljig ( sr-Cyrl, Сврљиг, ; until 1904 Derven, sr-Cyrl, Дервен, link=no) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the town has a population of 6,762 inhabitants, wh ...

) are located in the Timok river valley. The area is surrounded by a hilly landscape with many mountain ranges which traverse the region. The location of Timacum Minus was on the Roman route Lissus- Naissus-

Ratiaria Ratiaria (or: Ratsaria, Raetiaria, Retiaria, Reciaria, Razaria; ; ;) was a city founded by the Moesians, a Daco- Thracian tribe, in the 4th century BC, along the river Danube. In Roman times it was named '' Colonia Ulpia Traiana Ratiaria''. ...

. Trade routes from the Balkans coalesced in the Naissus region. Timacum Minus is located 60 km northeast of Naissus.

History

Timacum Minus was a strategic location for the Romans Empire. The region of Naissus was the center of the trade network from the north-south and west-east axis in the Balkans. In the areas near Naissus extensive mining activity was promoted by the Roman administration which necessitated the establishment of permanents forts, road networks and administrative facilities. Legio V Macedonica and IV Scythica, followed by a small auxiliary force from cohors I Thracum Syriaca. The road network began to develop and other military camps were built in this early period: ''Timacum Mais'' ( Niševac), ''Timacum Minus'' (Ravna) and ''Combustica'' (Kladorub). During the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

, cohors I Thracum Syriaca was replaced with the newly founded cohors II Aurelia Dardanorum, formed by the local population of the province of

Moesia Superior Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballia ...

. In this period, ''latrones Dardaniae'' (Dardanian brigants) were active in the area of Timacum Minus. The deployment of c. II Aurelia Dardanorum marks the building of the first permanent military base in Timacum Minus, around which the urban settlement developed. Permanent military deployment coincided with mining development and large-scale road construction. The archeological site is located SE from a small village of Ravna, north from

Knjaževac Knjaževac ( sr-cyr, Књажевац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of the Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. As of 2022, the municipality has a population of 25,341 inhabitants, while the town has 16,350 ...

, near White Timok River. Fortress and nearby village was dated in 1st century AD, and last up until Justinian's restoration of the empire in 6th century. Only few kilometers away from the fortress, on the slope of the Slog hill, two Roman necropolis were found, with numerous findings and burial gifts (jewelry, ceramic and glass vessels, money, etc.). Archeological findings from this site are mostly presented in the County Museum of Knjaževac and as well in the archeo- ethno park on site, where ''

lapidarium A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: ) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited. They can include stone epigraphy, epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas relief ...

'' is formed.

Gallery

References

Sources

* *

External links

Timacum Minus - Ravna (English)

* ttp://www.travel.rs/sr/srbija/zanimljivosti/timacum-minus Serbia Travel - Timacum Minus
www.Wikimapia.org - Ravna, Timacum Minus
Moesia Moesia Superior Roman sites in Serbia Archaeological Sites of Great Importance (Serbia) Former populated places in Serbia Late Roman military {{Serbia-cultural-heritage-stub