PNII-RU-TE-2014-4-2063: Natural resources, landscape and ancient settlements in northwesten Moesia – case study Troesmis.

Project-acronym: TROSMIN

Based on a preliminary project (2010-2014) in the central area of the site of Troesmis (Tulcea County), the multidisciplinary team of the TROSMIN-project will conduct archaeological field research in areas considered conventionally as belonging to the territory of the site of Roman period (2nd to 3rd century A.D.). The main tasks will focus on geoarchaeology and the extent to which the knowledge and use of natural resources of the region can be traced. The research concerns an area in which in antiquity are attested through written and archaeological sources several settlements: legionary fortress, civilian settlements, villae rusticae and a Roman town with the rank of a municipium, a late Roman and a Byzantine fortification. The research techniques are non-invasive: evaluation of aerial images, satellite, remote sensing and LIDAR; line-walking surface survey and grid survery; geophysical prospections. They have the advantage of being able to cover large surfaces in short time with a small field team (5-7 people) and cost-effective. In addition to this approach will be used archaeometric and geomorphologic analysis of archaeological materials and for the appropriate study of the natural resources. The project team (archaeologists, geologists, geographers and architects) makes also possible comparative studies of ancient sites in the area (fortifications, civil settlements, villae rusticae, necropolises) where systematic archaeological research has a long tradition.

Period: October 2015 – November 2017

Budget: 550,000 lei

Web-site during the project: https://www.troesmis.arheomedia.ro/TROSMIN_2015.html

Host institution: Institutul de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan”, Bucharest.