ACUMINCUM

A Fortress with the Most Beautiful Sunrises on the Danube

Acumincum, or Gradina, is a Roman fortification and a medieval fortress located on a prominent trapezoidal loess hill on the right bank of the Danube, alongside the present-day village of Stari Slankamen. Elevated above the bank of the mighty river and severely damaged by the ravages of time, the ruins of the previously imposing fortress symbolically remind us of the significance this place had in the past. The name itself, Acumincum, was originally a Celtic word preserved in Roman times as well, indicating the strong Celtic presence in this place. Today, the remains of this fortress, with one of the most beautiful views over the Danube and the vast plain of Bačka, have the status of an immovable cultural property of great importance.

ABOVE: Map of the site

ABOVE: A fragment of the tower on the upper plateau of the fortress

Systematic archaeological excavations between 1955 and 1958 revealed that Gradina was a multi-layered site, with the oldest layers dating to the Late Bronze Age and associated with a settlement of the Celtic tribe Scordisci. Remnants of the ramparts and some buildings made of dilapidated materials were preserved from this period. Between the 1^stand 3^rd centuries, a Roman fortification was built on the Celtic oppidium foundation, adjusted to the configuration of the terrain. Roman conquests of this region began in 146 B.C. and lasted until 15 A.D., when the Romans managed to subjugate Scordisci and annex this part of the Podunavlje region to the Roman Empire. The oldest antique layer consists of modest architectural remains built with broken stone and mud as binding aggregate, as well as in the drywall technique. Movable archaeological artefacts from the site include pottery, bricks, imbrices, and tegulae.

ABOVE LEFT: The fortress remains are elevated on a loess plateau overlooking the Danube, with the present-day village of Stari Slankamen located at the foot of it

ABOVE RIGHT: View from the fotress towards the 15^th-century Church of St. Nicholas

During the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries, the fortification and the buildings within the ramparts were reconstructed with massive walls made of rough-hewn stones set in mortar. Based on brick stamps, Cohort I Campanorum was stationed at the site in that period. Parallel to this fortification, a civil settlement emerged at the foot of the Gradina hill. Numerous findings of Roman coins, dating from Gallienus to Justinian I, as well as stone monuments that are kept in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb originate from fortification and a wider area of the present-day village of Stari Slankamen. In the 5^th or 6^th century, during the Migration Period, the settlement was destroyed by Gepids, Huns, or Avars. There are indicative traces of fire between the Antiquity and Middle Ages layers, as well as significant traces of devastation on the Roman ramparts and other buildings that support that notion. It is assumed that Acumincum shared the fate of other castra along this part of the Limes.

ABOVE: The fortress is known for its stunning sunrises over the Danube

At the site, the remains of a mediaeval fortress were discovered above the foundations of an ancient one, mentioned in sources from 1702 as Kastrum Zalankemen (Slankamen). At the beginning of the 15^th century, the fortification was the property of Serbian despots from the Lazarević and Branković dynasties. At that time, one of the most significant scriptorium centres was located in Slankamen. The Ottomans conquered the town in 1521. Later, it is often mentioned during the Austrian-Ottoman wars, among others, as the site of the Battle of Slankamen in 1691, when the Austrian army under the commandership of Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, defeated the Ottoman army.

ABOVE: Remains of a Turkish hammam, preserved in the cellar of the „Acumnicum“ winery at the foot of the fortress

All that remained of the whole town are the ruins of Upper and Lower Fortress from the second half of the 15^th century. A rectangular and a semicircular towers are preserved on the eastern wall. The sites of Humka, Tanackov Salaš, and Dugorep are located in the immediate vicinity of the fortress, with cultural layers ranging from prehistory to the Middle Ages. The remains of a 16^th-century Turkish hamam have been preserved in the cellar of the „Acumnicum“ winery, a former parish house at the foot of the fortress.

Translation: Marija Stamenković