Story of a city: its necropolises, its territory.
Ibida. A Roman town at the edge of the empire
The mission of the University of Sassari, with the co-financing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and directed by Prof. Alessandro Teatini, studies the Roman site of Ibida on the basis of an agreement between the University of Sassari and the Tulcea Eco-Museum Research Institute (ICEM). In addition to the research activities, a Summer School for Romanian, Italian and other nationality students of archeology take place there.
For the column Let’s talk about Archaeology, Alessandro Teatini updates us on the ongoing research.
The cooperation agreement between the University of Sassari and the Eco-Museum Research Institute (ICEM) of Tulcea is aimed at conducting historical-archaeological research, studying and enhancing the Roman town of Ibida and its territory. The site corresponds to the current village of Slava Rusă, in Dobrogea (Tulcea County), the ancient region of Scythia Minor, which became provincia Scythia following the reorganization under emperor Diocletianus. The town, the largest one in the whole Dobrogea, is fortified by an imposing wall of about 2500 meters in length marked by 24 towers: its chronology refers to the period of Constantine with renovations in the early Byzantine age. The study also concerns the very large necropolis, where among the numerous burials a monumental chamber tomb was discovered, covered with a barrel vault, with an access corridor and originally frescoed walls.
Summer School
At the same time, the activities are the driving force for developing the historical-archaeological and interdisciplinary Italo-Romanian cooperation, with a view to including the Italian archaeological mission at Ibida among the Italian commitments in terms of cultural diplomacy in the Balkan region. For this purpose, ICEM organizes annualy the ‘Summer School of Archeology’ in the months of July and August, aimed at carrying out internships by archeology students, not only Romanians and Italians but also of other nationalities (Ukrainians, Moldovans, sometimes Turks); it is an extremely formative experience, a large international school yard aimed at training students in the main activities of the work of archaeologists and in the analysis of finds and inscriptions, without neglecting a broader approach to the study of ancient monuments. In fact, theoretical lessons held by teachers are also organized both in the archaeological base next to the site and on the excavation sectors, as well as educational trips to the nearby archaeological sites of the lower-Danubian limes (the system of fortifications of the border of the Roman empire), with the aim not only to know more broadly the historical frame in which we are working, but also to explore different approaches to the organization of museums and archaeological parks.
Discoveries
Among the various excavation areas currently open, the one along the northern walls returned evidence of particular interest: immediately in front of the walls, below the level of frequentation of the Constantinian age, an important building of the first phase of town’s life in the middle imperial age was brought to light. It is a large structure consisting of three long rectangular rooms parallel to each other: its short southern side served as a base for a section of the late antique wall. The destruction of this building, that occurred due to a fire in a late phase of the II century AD, enclosed several finds, among which the most important is a bronze military diploma, fragmentary but largely recomposable, whose inscribed text refers to a veteran discharged in the year 99 AD: this is right the time when emperor Traianus was organizing the Dacian campaigns, which would start in a very few years.
The Italian team, obviously with the constant collaboration of Romanian colleagues and students, was entrusted with the management of the excavation of the important structure of an early Christian Basilica built outside the walls in the cemetery area, north of the town, a short distance away from the walls: this truly exceptional discovery was carried out during the activities for the realization of the entire town’s orthophoto.
Bibliographic note
Iacob, A. Ibba, D. Paraschiv, A. Teatini, ‘La città romana di (L)Ibida, in Scythia Minor. Le ricerche recenti e l’accordo di collaborazione tra l’Istituto di Ricerche Eco-Museali di Tulcea e l’Università di Sassari’, in ‘Atti del II Convegno Internazionale sulle Antiche Province Danubiane. Culti e religiosità nelle province danubiane’, Ferrara, 20-22 novembre 2013, ed. L. Zerbini, Bologna, Casa editrice Emil di Odoya, 2015, pp. 559-573.