2008-12-08 古罗马帝国的“宝石”（在线收听）

Archeologists are hoping to attract tourists to one of the jewels of the Roman Empire. Viminacium was the most important city in the Roman province of Upper Moesia. The city was located in what is today, Serbia. It's believed the Romans first conquered the area during the 1st century BC, after long wars waged against the indigenous population.

Now centuries later, Kostolac, a small Serbian town on the Danube, stands where Viminacium used to be. Archeologists have excavated parts of this ancient site, unlocking some of the history of the Roman ruin.

Vinimacium represents one of the most important jewels, something that our country brought to life and something which is in a chain, 600 kilometers’ long. In that chain, there are 10 places similar to this.

We can say that Vinimacium is one of the great archeological places. It lies on 1,100 acres. One and a half million people lived in the town, equivalent to today's proportions. It had temples, squares, theaters, streets, public baths, amphitheatres, everything that a city had at that time.

The baths are typical Roman buildings constructed as public establishments, which not only provided relaxation, but were centers for social activities. 

The remains of fresco paintings testify to the luxurious nature of this establishment. Korac’s excavation team has not only discovered the ancient baths, but the northern gate of the military camp, mausoleums where Roman emperors were buried in an amphitheatre. Korac is promoting the site as a tourist destination, which he believes will help protect Vinimacium, a cultural heritage which he says has to live.