SIRMIUM – Site 85, 2011.

In the very city center of Sremska Mitrovica, in front of the Museum of Srem, archaeological research was conducted on the Site 85. Architectural remains were unearthed in this area – a medieval church and a Late Roman structure from the Imperial palace complex dated into the early 4th century. On sites 1а and 37, positioned in the very vicinity, remains of the imperial palace and the palace complex can also be traced. (Fig. 1).
Central part of the Site 85 was examined down to the level of architecture from the 4th century that include a structure with annexes positioned beneath the Museum of Srem. Massive walls of this structure, having a row of longitudinal and angular pilasters on their inner sides, were examined only in the eastern part. In the middle of the eastern structure wall there was a 1.5 m wide entrance. The structure had a floor made of tiles with a substructure made of hydrostatic mortar. Outside the structure, towards the east, there was an area covered with compact lime mortar.
On the eastern structure side, a 4 m long annex was added. In it, remains of a fountain were unearthed, as well as a marble head of the goddess Venus. (Fig. 2) The eastern annex wall had two entrances of unequal width: the northern one was paved with regularly placed blocks of limestone, while the southern one was paved with regularly placed brick tiles. Beneath the pavement there was a firm substruction of compact lime mortar. Beneath it, there is a sewer canal covered with a gable roof made of tiles. During the second half of the 4th century, another two rectangular annexes were added made of bricks bound with lime mortar and floors decorated with mosaics.
Trench 3/2011 was opened to the east of the southern annex. The annex was buried into debris containing a large amount of fresco fragments, but also small finds dated into the period of the middle and the second half of the 4th century. This layer was formed on the floor marked as floor G (discovered in the year 2002), that was made of hydrostatic mortar. Owing to the find of coinage by Constantius Chlorus, the floor was dated at the beginning of the 4th century. (Fig. 3)
In the part of the trench in which floor G was situated, corner of a structure was unearthed, more precisely two massive walls that were damaged as the floor G was made. The walls were buried into the layer of dark brown soil containing mostly early Roman and Late Iron Age material from the 1st century.
Research in the eastern part of the site was focused on lowering the current level in order to prepare the site for future excavations of the Late Roman horizon from the beginning of the 4th century.

Source: Popović I., Pop-Lazić S., Popović B., Arheološki institut Beograd, Vujadinović V., Arheološka iskopavanja u Sremskoj Mitrovici 2011. godine – Lokalitet 85, Arheologija u Srbiji (Projekti Arheološkog instituta u 2011. godini), Beograd 2012, 38-41.

Fig. 1. Sremska Mitrovica, the position of Site 85 in relation to the neighboring sites belonging to the Imperial palace complex (after: Popović et al., 2012, 38, Sl. 1)
Fig. 2. The marble head of Venus (after: Popović 2006, 157, Fig. 2a)
Fig. 3. Sremska Mitrovica, Site 85: floor G in trench 3/2011 (after: Popović et al., 2012, 40, Sl. 2).