Gamzigrad – called Romuliana or “Felix Romuliana” in ancient Rome (in Cyrillic Гамзиград) – is a small town in Serbia.
On the outskirts of Gamzigrad are the Roman ruins of Romuliana or Felix Romuliana, one of the most important late Roman sites in Europe. The early researchers believed that the ancient ruins were a castro or Roman camp, due to their size and numerous towers. Systematic archaeological excavations carried out in 1953 revealed that the place was actually an imperial palace. It was conceived and built by Emperor Galerius, to mark the place of his birth. Galerius began construction in 289, after his victory over the Persians that gave The name Felix Romuliana was given in honour of his mother Romula, who was also a priestess of a pagan cult. The temple and palace complex served three main purposes – a place of veneration for his mother’s divine personality, a monument to his accomplishments as emperor, and a luxurious villa where Galerius retired after his abdication. Romuliana survived until it was looted by the Huns in the middle of the 5th century. Later the place became a humble settlement of farmers and artisans, to be finally abandoned in the early 7th century with the arrival of the Slavs.
