The Sacred Monuments of Magura
Sa, 4. Nov. 2006, 09:56 in 'SRB'
About a 1000 meters east of the main gate of Romuliana, on the ridge of Magura you will find the two mausolea of Galerius and his mother Romula. The complex of sacral objects near Gamzigrad was excavated between 1989 and 1993. There are also two consecration mounds and a monumental tetrapylon up there.
Click to see 360° panorama: felixromuliana_xl_7_360g (jpg, 101 KB)
There is no real street to get up the hill, just a dirt track. On a rainy day you probably won't make it without a 4-wheel drive. Drive slowly.
How to get there: When you leave Felix Romuliana (the gate is in your back) turn left into to dirt track. At the corner tower turn left and follow the track up onto the hill.
"The sacred monuments on the top of Magura were designed to serve a funeral cult, or, more precisely, the ceremonies associated with imperial burials", the description in Felix Romuliana said. "They were spatially and visually associated with the palace. Their location is such that it suggests a direct functional link with the temples: Mausoleum 1 and Consecration Memorial 2 are associated with the temple in the south part of the palace."
"The explorations have shown that Magura was a kind of a sacred hill, a Mons Sacar, that its top had been a deeply revered place from prehistoric times and that it was precisely there that Romula and Galerius were buried and admitted to the ranks of gods."
The place is made to be a sacred hill. The view is incredible and there is something magic about it. If you can, go there.
Zaječar in the background. The village in the front is Zvezdan.
Although obviously something is being done to preserve the graves, other parts lie around in the middle of junk. As I mentioned before it's a pity that these places can't be maintained properly. On the other hand they are - apart from the junk - more "natural" than any archaeological site in Western Europe. They are peaceful and quiet.
Click to see 360° panorama: felixromuliana_xl_7_360g (jpg, 101 KB)
There is no real street to get up the hill, just a dirt track. On a rainy day you probably won't make it without a 4-wheel drive. Drive slowly.
How to get there: When you leave Felix Romuliana (the gate is in your back) turn left into to dirt track. At the corner tower turn left and follow the track up onto the hill.
"The sacred monuments on the top of Magura were designed to serve a funeral cult, or, more precisely, the ceremonies associated with imperial burials", the description in Felix Romuliana said. "They were spatially and visually associated with the palace. Their location is such that it suggests a direct functional link with the temples: Mausoleum 1 and Consecration Memorial 2 are associated with the temple in the south part of the palace."
"The explorations have shown that Magura was a kind of a sacred hill, a Mons Sacar, that its top had been a deeply revered place from prehistoric times and that it was precisely there that Romula and Galerius were buried and admitted to the ranks of gods."
The place is made to be a sacred hill. The view is incredible and there is something magic about it. If you can, go there.
Zaječar in the background. The village in the front is Zvezdan.
Although obviously something is being done to preserve the graves, other parts lie around in the middle of junk. As I mentioned before it's a pity that these places can't be maintained properly. On the other hand they are - apart from the junk - more "natural" than any archaeological site in Western Europe. They are peaceful and quiet.