Roman gods of sand5/18/2023 Galerius knew what he was doing when he chose this spot: Magura Hill has long been recognised as a sacred site – a Bronze Age necropolis has been found here – and, visible for miles around, it would have served as a constant reminder to those below of the deified couple lying there. The view from the central ceremonial room, dubbed the ‘Throne Room’, looking across the atrium, with its marble columns, to the Magura Hill with the tumuli and mausolea of Emperor Galerius and his mother Romula. Standing in what was once the central ceremonial room of Felix Romuliana, and later converted to form part of a Christian basilica, I could clearly see Romula’s mausoleum and the two tumuli against the skyline. His is the last example of apotheosis in the Roman world, as his successor, Constantine, adopted Christianity, thereby doing away with such rituals. The pyre was then covered by the tumulus, and his body interred in a grand mausoleum behind it. On his death, a wax effigy of the emperor was burned upon a funeral pyre, and he became a god. His own were built alongside hers a few years later. Galerius was clearly fond of his old mum: not only did he name his palace after her and make her a god, but when she died in 305, he had her mausoleum and funeral pyre erected on Magura Hill overlooking the town that bears her name. Finally, in the 7th century, the site was abandoned, its name lost. Evidence of fire and destruction suggest turbulent times, probably at the hands of the Huns. In the mid-5th century, a couple of Christian basilicas were built over some of the rooms, and workshops appeared on the perimeter walls. But after his death, with building work barely completed, it was used only for the occasional ceremonial purpose. The luxurious palace complex Felix Romuliana was named after his mother, Romula – with the ‘Felix’ tacked on to indicate her deification. Though he chose Thessaloniki as his capital, it was here in his hometown that he intended to retire in AD 313, when his term as Augustus under the 2nd Tetrarchy was due to end. Standing in the splendid ruins of his palace at Gamzigrad-Felix Romuliana in eastern Serbia, in the remote lush countryside, I could not help feeling sorry for Galerius. One of them was Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus Augustus (AD 293-311). The white columns of the atrium of the main palace, later adapted to serve as part of the later Christian basilica, are visible on the right.Įighteen Roman emperors came from Serbia – more than anywhere else outside Italy. Note the decumanus stretching from the main east gate at the top. A Roman retreat Felix Romuliana, seen from Magura Hill.
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