By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
BELGRADE, Jul 14 2008 (IPS)

Serbia has discovered, and now wants tourists to, that 16 Roman emperors of 3rd and 4th century AD were born in what is now Serbia.

“Those were the dynamic times preceding the final collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the late 5th century,” historian Aleksandar Jovanovic told IPS. “Due to specific circumstances, the emperor’s throne was not hereditary, but a matter of soldiers’ leadership and bravery. In those times, simple but successful military leaders could become emperors.

“However, theirs was a short-lived glory, only a year or two; they were guardians of the borders of the Empire, and died in battles against ‘barbarians’, fighting shoulder to shoulder with their soldiers.”

These emperors liked to serve at the border towns where they were born, and to make them as glorious as they could, building typical pantheons (temples to the gods), theatres and forums (market places and communal meeting grounds).

The Roman Empire, at its peak, extended from modern Portugal and Spain in the west to north Africa in the south, across Europe to modern England in the north, and to Romania and Turkey in the east and south east.

It ceased to exist as a single entity in the late 5th century, when its western part fell to Germanic tribes. The eastern part in the form of the Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453, when Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was overrun by the Ottoman Turks.

Modern Serbia wants visitors to step into that past. The first step in ‘ancient Roman tourism’ was taken in Kostolac, 90 km east of Belgrade, when the gates of Viminatium, a former military outpost, were opened to the public in 2006.

The enthusiasm of archaeology professor Miomir Korac, who worked at the site for six years with 40 assistants, paid off. More than 50,000 people visited the site in 2007.

“This is a unique project that can reveal ancient history, and popularise it among both our people and international tourists,” Korac said at a press conference. “It brings together the past and modern times.”

Viminatium is only four kilometres from the Danube, where more than 600 tourist ships sail in summer months between Vienna and the delta into the Black Sea in Romania. Many of the visitors to Viminatium come from these ships.

They can tour the thermal baths, see the perfectly preserved water supply system that goes 10 kilometres up into the nearby mountains, sit in the amphitheatre, or go down into the necropolis. There is also the recently dug up mausoleum of Emperor Hostilian, who died in the town in 251 AD.

It is uncertain whether he died of the plague or was assassinated. Visitors can buy a game ‘Mystery of the Emperor’s Death’ and try to figure it out. It is also uncertain how Viminatium itself died – whether it was destroyed by ‘barbaric’ tribes or by the plague.

Tourists are taken in replicas of ancient Roman chariots to taverns where meals are made with 1,700-year-old recipes – bread with goat cheese and bay leaves, roasted pork in honey, or sesame dressed meat balls, deep fried in olive oil.

“This is just the beginning of the project we plan to develop,” Korac told IPS. “It is named the ‘Roman Emperors’ Route’ and will involve seven Serbian cities, native towns of emperors, or prominent military camps of ancient Romans. This can be a self-sufficient project; just the entrance fees at the already excavated sites such as Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in western Serbia) and Mediana and Naissus in the south-east could bring millions of dollars.”

Serbia has presented the project at recent tourist fairs all over Europe, and is seeking a 25 million euros (37.5 million dollars) European Union (EU) grant to develop it further.

Along a 600 km route, some 100 houses would be turned into hostels and guest houses, with ancient Roman menus for those who want them.

“This could be a unique enterprise here,” Korac says. “The only places in Europe where similar schemes exist are Italy and France, but we can also initiate cooperation with neighbours, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia and Greece, and link the ancient Roman Emperors’ routes all over.”

Excerpt: