Viminacium Viminacium ( ) was a major city ( provincial capital ) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia ( today ' s Serbia ) , and the capital of " Moesia Superior " . The site is located from the modern town of Kostolac in Eastern Serbia . The city dates back to the 1st century AD , and at its peak it is believed to have had 40 , 000 inhabitants , making it one of the biggest cities of that time . It lies on the Roman road " Via Militaris " . Viminacium was devastated by Huns in the 5th century , but was later rebuilt by Justinian . It was completely destroyed with the arrival of Slavs in the 6th century . Today , the archaeological site occupies a total of , and contains remains of temples , streets , squares , amphitheatres , palaces , hippodromes and Roman baths . History . The remains of Viminacium , the capital of the Roman province of Moesia Superior , are located on territories of the villages of Stari Kostolac and Drmno , about 12 km from the town of Kostolac and about 90 miles southeast of Belgrade . Viminacium was one of the most important Roman cities and military camps in the period from 1st to 4th centuries . Its exceptional strategic importance was reflected both in the defense of the northern border of the Roman empire and in turn of communications and commercial transactions . No less appealing to the Romans was the hinterland of the Mlava river valley , which is rich in ore and grains . In Roman times , the town on the northern side of relying directly on the branch of the Danube , while the western side , touching the walls Mlava rivers . Only in the later period , Viminacium spread to the left bank of Mlava . Thanks to the location , land and waterways , Viminacium represented one of those areas where the encounter of cultures between East and West was inevitable . Although these roads were the primary military and strategic function , they are taking place throughout antiquity very lively traffic and certainly contributed to the very Viminacium become prosperous and an important trading and business headquarters . In Viminacium , Roman legion VII Claudia was stationed , and a nearby civilian settlement emerged from the military camp . In 117 during the reign of Hadrian it received city status . In the camp , 6 . 000 soldiers were stationed , and 30 - 40 . 000 lived nearby . In the first half of the 3rd century the city was in full development , as evidenced by the fact that at that time it acquired the status of a Roman colony , and the right to coin local money . Here , in 211 , Septimius Severus was proclaimed emperor by his son Caracalla . In the mausoleum and the excavated tombs , the Roman emperor Hostilian , who died in 251 , was buried . A legion may have been stationed here as early as Augustus ( 27 BC - 14 AD ) . In 33 / 34 AD a road was built , linking Viminacium and Ratiaria . Claudius ( 41 - 54 ) garrisoned Viminacium , Oescus and Novae as camps for the Moesian legions . The first legion attested at Viminacium was the VII Claudia that came from Dalmatia in 52 AD . Emperor Trajan ( 98 - 117 ) was headquartered here during the Dacian Wars . It became a " colonia " with minting privilege in 239 AD during the rule of Gordian III ( 238 - 244 ) and housed the Legion VII and Legion IV . Emperor Hostilian was the son of the emperor Decius , who was killed in the ambush near the ancient city of Abrutus located in present day Bulgaria . According to the old manuscript , emperor Hostilian and his mother came to Viminacium to supervise the organization of defense of northern borders , but both of them died of the plague . Because of the distance and the fear of spreading the plague , he was buried with all honors in Viminacium . Viminacium was the provincial capital of Moesia Superior . In the late spring of 293 - 294 , Diocletian journeyed through his realm and he re - organized Viminacium as the capital of the new province of " Moesia Superior Margensis " . He registered that the people wrote in Latin , as opposed to Greek in the southern provinces . Viminacium was the base camp of Legio VII " Claudia " , and hosted for some time the IIII " Flavia Felix " . It had a Roman amphitheatre with room for 12 , 000 people . In 382 the city was the meeting place between Theodosius and Gratian amidst the Gothic War s . Viminacium was destroyed in 441 by the Attila the Hun , but rebuilt by Justinian I . During Maurice ' s Balkan campaigns , Viminacium saw destruction by the Avars in 582 and a crushing defeat of Avar forces on the northern Danube bank in 599 , destroying Avar reputation for invincibility . Location and excavation . Viminacium is located in " Stari Kostolac " ( Old Kostolac ) a Serbian town on the Danube river , east of Belgrade . Viminacium is the location of the first archaeological excavation in Serbia , which started in 1882 , by Mihailo Valtrović , an architect by profession and the first professor of archeology at the college in Belgrade . The only help he received was from 12 prisoners , because the state did not have enough resources to provide him with a better work force . His research was continued by Miloje Vasić , in the 1970s . It has intensified in the last ten years in the area of the Roman city of the Roman legionary camps and cemeteries . Many studies suggest that the military camp at Viminacium had a rectangular plan , measuring 442 x 385 meters , and that is not far from its western wall of civilian settlement in an area of approximately 72 acres . Legionary camp in Viminacium is now in a layer of arable land , so that wealth Viminacium easily accessible to researchers , but , unfortunately , and the robbers . The National Museum in Belgrade and Požarevac kept some 40 , 000 items found in Viminacium , of which over 700 made of gold and silver . Among them are many objects that represent the European and world rarities invaluable . It has been discovered and more than 13 , 500 graves . Tombstones and sarcophagi are often decorated with relief representations of scenes from mythology or daily life . We have found numerous grave masonry construction . Especially interesting are the frescoes of the 4th - century tombs . Fresco with the notion of young women in artistic value of the extreme range of late antique art . During the excavation , an amphitheater , which with its 12 , 000 seats was one of the largest in the Balkans . Domus scientiarum Viminacium . Domus scientiarum Viminacium is a new scientific , research and tourist center build on the edge of the Archaeological park . The Domus was built as a Roman villa with rooms and laboratories grouped around several atriums . Building facilitates a archaeological museum , scientific library , laboratories for processing archaeological finds , information center , conference rooms , restaurant with dinning hall and SPA center . There are also rooms prepared for researchers , students and visitors . External links . For more information , visit the official site of Viminacium