The canabae

All Roman permanent legionary bases were accompanied by civilian settlements which spread in the close vicinity of the fortress. They were inhabited by artisans, traders, servicemen and families of soldiers. The scholars observed an interesting pattern which occured in the European part of the Empire in the 2nd century AD. One settlement (canabae) developed outside camp fortifications, while another one (vicus) emerged at a certain distance from the military base, usually about 2–3 km. Such phenomenon is named in modern literature as settlement duality. It is also worth to note that the proper name of the fortress was castra legionis, while the toponyms that we use today to name Roman camps (Novae, Carnuntum, Durostorum) referred to the civilian settlement, not the fortress itself.

Although pre-Roman and 1st-century AD remains have been recorded also to the east of the fortress, the principal part of the canabae lay to the west, outside the West Gate (porta principalis sinistra). The excavations within the area of the canabae were very limited due to the existence of private properties. They have been focused so far on one residential quarter to the west of the fortress’ West Gate, and the only building that has so far been explored is the splendid residence of an official character excavated by Bulgarian archaeologists and dubbed villa extra muros by the discoverers.

Rescue excavations were carried out in the Mithraeum (or shrine of Oriental divinities) to the south-west from the fortress. Apart from the fieldwalking made by the Polish and German-Bulgarian teams, no other archaeological investigations have been conducted in the area surroundings the camp.

Literature

• Tomas, A., 2017. Living with the Army I. Civil Settlements near Roman Legionary Fortresses in Lower Moesia, Warszawa.

• Tomas, A. 2012. Canabae legionis I Italicae: state of research on civil settlements accompanying the legionary camp in Novae (Lower Moesia) compared to relevant Lower Danubian sites, Światowit L/A, (2011), 155–168.

• Parnicki-Pudełko, S. 1981. Canabae Novae: Problem lokalizacji [Canabae Novae – Problem of localization], in: Parnicki-Pudełko, S. et al. Novae – Sektor Zachodni 1979, 1978. Wyniki badań wykopaliskowych Ekspedycji Archeologicznej Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu [Novae – Western Sector 1979, 1978. Results of Excavations of the Archaeological Expedition of the Adam Mickiewicz University], Poznań, 197–200.