Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-7cz98 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-20T21:24:51.375Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Principia of the legionary fortress in Novae: digital rendering as a tool for analysing Roman army religion and imperial propaganda

Part of: Classical Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2023

Agnieszka Tomas Open the ORCID record for Agnieszka Tomas [Opens in a new window]  and
Jakub Kaniszewski
Agnieszka Tomas*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Poland
Jakub Kaniszewski
Affiliation:
Independent researcher, Warsaw, Poland
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ agnieszka.tomas@uw.edu.pl
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A 3D reconstruction of the principia at Novae (Bulgaria) allows modelling of the inscribed statues, altars and building stones as they used to look. By restoring the inscribed monuments to their original contexts, the model means that Roman military religiosity and its messages can be analysed in the legionary headquarters.

Keywords

BulgariaRoman Empire3D virtual reconstructionmilitaryreligion

Information

Type
Project Gallery
Information
Antiquity , Volume 97 , Issue 395 , October 2023 , e28
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

Introduction

Novae (Lower Moesia, present Bulgaria) was founded sometime after the mid-first century AD. The First Italic Legion arrived shortly before AD 71/72 and was garrisoned there until the 430s. Within the fortress covering almost 18 ha, the remains of a monumental headquarters building (principia), military hospital, and baths have been uncovered (Figure 1), and many years of excavation in the principia have brought to light more than 300 inscriptions of all types.

Figure 1.

Novae. The plan of the legionary fortress. 1) principia; 2) military baths; 3) house in the scamna tribunorum; 4) military hospital; 5, 16) storehouses(?); 6) residence in the latera praetorii; 7) barracks; 8) building in the retentura; 9) workshop; 10–13) gates; 14) water cistern; 15) extramural residence. Figures along the curtain wall refer to the numbers of towers (drawing by E. Jęczmienowski).

The primary goal of the present project, entitled ‘In medio castrorum: Sculptural and epigraphic landscape of the central part of the legionary fortress at Novae’, is to gain a better understanding of the way in which the inscriptions were presented within the principia, which, in addition to its practical administrative functions, provided a space for communication between soldiers and divine agents via inscribed monuments (e.g. statue bases and altars). The propaganda aims required careful planning of the position of inscriptions within the principia (Sarnowski Reference Sarnowski1989; Stoll Reference Stoll1992). The installation of a monument (funded by specific groups of donors) was marked by a military ceremony (Helgeland Reference Helgeland, Temporini and Haase1978). The concept of ‘lived ancient religion’ focusing on religious experience, practices and the interactions of individuals (Fuchs & Rüpke Reference Fuchs and Rüpke2015), is an increasingly debated topic, as are the relationships between texts and the spaces in which inscribed monuments were displayed (Lasagni Reference Lasagni2017; Orlandi et al. Reference Orlandi, Santucci, Mambrini and Liuzzo2017).

The current project will provide 3D reconstructions based on the discoveries made in the principia in Novae which can be a useful tool for scholars studying the concept of ‘lived ancient religion’. This will allow evaluation of the research potential via multiple resources within the virtual space, while providing new insights into the experience of a soldier in a military religious arena.

Methods

Epigraphic finds from the principia in Novae have never been the subject of focused analysis; many transcriptions need correction and some remain unpublished. The project presented here will apply a holistic approach, using digital methods to examine the inscriptions within their architectural context, juxtaposed with the fragments of bronze statues also found in the building.

The dimensions and spatial layout of the building were recreated based on archaeological data acquired during excavation (Figure 2). The epigraphic catalogue comprises 60 monuments, including statue bases, altars, and building inscriptions, most discovered during excavations in the principia and found in a context of reuse. Several stones were found outside the building, but originally they were exhibited in the principia, as indicated by their text. All the finds, including those currently unpublished, have been re-examined, drawn and photographed at high resolution (Figure 3).

Figure 2.

Novae. The plan of the principia. Black rectangles mark the places where the supports for the bases of equestrian statues were found (drawing by T. Sarnowski and E. Jęczmienowski).

Figure 3.

Novae. The updated documented statue base of Mars Victor. The drawing shows precisely the preserved inscription with erased name of Caracalla or Elagabalus. The photograph of the top surface shows the traces of the fitting holes, previously published incorrectly (drawing by E. Jęczmienowski and M. Różycka; photograph by A. Tomas).

To portray the internal arrangement of the building, we chose several stages during the Severan period when the principia underwent a renovation involving the most eminent statues (Sarnowski Reference Sarnowski, Sommer and Matesic2018). The finds seem to attest to a programme for statuary arrangement with inscriptions intended to clearly convey the official damnatio memoriae (‘condemnation of memory’) passed on Emperor Geta, marking an exemplary historical moment.

Following original documentation from the excavations carried out between the 1970s and 2013, all architectural elements, altars and statue bases have been modelled using Autodesk 3ds Max and Blender software. The principia model consists of several thousand geometric objects (Figure 4), while the three-dimensional statues were created separately using Agisoft Photoscan, Poser, Blender and 3ds Max software.

Figure 4.

3D visualisation of the principia in Novae (figure by J. Kaniszewski).

Preliminary results

Examination of the inscriptions provided partial explanations for the circumstances and motivations behind the erection of the various statues. A group of monuments set up by the primi pili is highly informative. These were the highest-ranking centurions, responsible for military supplies and also for religious activities, whose contribution to the principia related to financial settlements at the end of their service (Faure Reference Faure2019). Analogous evidence was left by the primipilarii (late Roman civil clerks) (Łajtar Reference Łajtar, Mitthof, Cenati and Zerbini2021). Both groups venerated Dionysus/Liber Pater, which was clearly an important deity who prevented famine as evidenced by seven statues and a depiction present in the early fifth-century building.

The original settings of certain types of statues could, in many cases, be inferred with considerable confidence, for example based on the preserved supports for the bases of equestrian statues (Figures 2 & 5). The exact location of each statue, however, remains hypothetical. Where possible, the dimensions of missing statues could be deduced from the size of the fixing holes on the upper surface of the stone base, while their appearance was approximated based on analogous statues from the same period (Figure 6).

Figure 5.

Principia in Novae. The cross-section of the rear part of the building with reproduced statues (figure by J. Kaniszewski).

Figure 6.

Novae. The entrance to the basilica principiorum and the reconstructed statues (J. Kaniszewski),

Conclusions

The specific location of a statue displaying a particular text would determine the order in which that information was received, contributing to the drama of religious ceremonies. Although a faithful digital reconstruction of the sculptural decoration will always contain hypothetical elements, a virtual model showing the relationship between the inscribed monuments within the space will enable researchers to trace the way visual stimuli were received by participants in ceremonies within the principia; it is a potentially useful tool for further analyses like the visibility of the ceremony performed in the principia.

The epigraphic evidence from Novae shows that the transmission of propaganda at the centre of the Roman military base was controlled by a small group of people through religious acts relating to both spiritual and practical aspects of military provisioning. Detailed analysis of the content of the epigraphic texts, combined with knowledge of the material, workmanship, or type of statue exhibited in the building will reveal new insights. The publication planned at the end of the project accompanied by a dedicated website presenting digital reconstructions will enable users to view details of the individual inscriptions, and will present dating information and justification for the location of the monuments within the virtual principia. Further research will include contextual analyses of other finds.

Funding statement

The project entitled ‘In medio castrorum: Sculptural and epigraphic landscape of the central part of the legionary fortress at Novae’ received financial support from the Polish National Science Centre (grant no. UMO-2016/21/B/HS3/00030). The present work comprises part of the ‘Excellence Initiative – Research University’ Programme, the University of Warsaw, action III.3.2.

References

Faure, P. 2019. Accepta pariatoria et primipilat. Nouvelles hypothèses sur un monument inscrit de Nouae. Tyche 34: 61–80.Google Scholar
Fuchs, M. & Rüpke, J.. 2015. Religious individualisation in historical perspective. Religion 45(3): 323–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2015.1041795CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helgeland, J. 1978. Roman army religion, in Temporini, H. and Haase, W. (ed.) Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (Rise and decline of the Roman world) II.16.2: 1470–505. Berlin-New York: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110851335-013Google Scholar
Łajtar, A. 2021. Two Greek dedications by primipilarii discovered recently in Novae, in Mitthof, F., Cenati, C. & Zerbini, L. (ed.) Ad ripam Danuvi; Papers of the 3rd International Conference of the Roman Danubian Provinces, Vienna, 11th–14th November 2015: 121–9. Vienna: Holzhausen.Google Scholar
Lasagni, C. 2017. Il progetto ‘The Epigraphic Landscape of Athens’ e l'ELA Database: caratteristiche e risultati preliminari per uno studio semantico della topografia ateniese. Historika. Studi di Storia Greca e Romana 7: 53–82.Google Scholar
Orlandi, S., Santucci, R., Mambrini, F.R. & Liuzzo, P.M. (ed.). 2017. Digital and traditional epigraphy in context. Proceedings of the Eagle 2016 International Conference (Collana Convegni 36). Roma: La Sapienza Università Editrice.Google Scholar
Sarnowski, T. 1989. Zur Statuenausstattung der römischen Stabsgebäude. Bonner Jahrbücher 189: 97–120.Google Scholar
Sarnowski, T. 2018. In medio castrorum legionis I Italicae at Novae. Preserved remains, 3D virtual modelling and full-size visualization on the original site, in Sommer, C. & Matesic, S. (ed.) Limes XXIII. Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Ingolstadt 2015: 350–9. Mainz: NünnerichAsmus Verlag.Google Scholar
Stoll, O. 1992. Die Skulpturenausstattung römischer Militäranlagen an Rhein und Donau. (Der Obergermanisch-Rätischen Limes). St. Katharinen: Scripta Mercaturae.Google Scholar
Figure 0

Figure 1. Novae. The plan of the legionary fortress. 1) principia; 2) military baths; 3) house in the scamna tribunorum; 4) military hospital; 5, 16) storehouses(?); 6) residence in the latera praetorii; 7) barracks; 8) building in the retentura; 9) workshop; 10–13) gates; 14) water cistern; 15) extramural residence. Figures along the curtain wall refer to the numbers of towers (drawing by E. Jęczmienowski).

Figure 1

Figure 2. Novae. The plan of the principia. Black rectangles mark the places where the supports for the bases of equestrian statues were found (drawing by T. Sarnowski and E. Jęczmienowski).

Figure 2

Figure 3. Novae. The updated documented statue base of Mars Victor. The drawing shows precisely the preserved inscription with erased name of Caracalla or Elagabalus. The photograph of the top surface shows the traces of the fitting holes, previously published incorrectly (drawing by E. Jęczmienowski and M. Różycka; photograph by A. Tomas).

Figure 3

Figure 4. 3D visualisation of the principia in Novae (figure by J. Kaniszewski).

Figure 4

Figure 5. Principia in Novae. The cross-section of the rear part of the building with reproduced statues (figure by J. Kaniszewski).

Figure 5

Figure 6. Novae. The entrance to the basilica principiorum and the reconstructed statues (J. Kaniszewski),