Non‐destructive research in the surroundings of the Roman Fort Tibiscum (today Romania)

The Roman military fort Tibiscum which existed from the beginning of the second up to the third quarter of the third century ad was manned by various auxiliary units, including Syrian Palmyrenians and Germanic Vindelici. Its irregular shape and relatively big surface, usual for the forts of that type, as well as not having entirely clear settlement structures visible on both sides of the Timiş River drew attention of many scholars. The non‐destructive research project carried out in 2014–2016 allowed to reassess the ancient landscape around the fort. Although the site was excavated for almost 100 years, the rural hinterland of Tibiscum has never been investigated systematically. An integrated archaeological prospection method combined with the use of modern surveying tools resulted in establishing the accurate position of the known extramural remains and the location of a dozen of new sites and features within the radius of ca 3 km around the fort. The results of the surveys compared with the old maps and previous excavations led to the new conclusions concerning the topography of Roman Tibiscum and the development of the civilian settlement in its vicinity. The analysis of acquired archaeological data compared with historical sources give assumptions to the question of the existence of a separate town on the east side of the Timiş River which was granted municipal status by the end of the second century ad. The authors of the present article are rather willing to believe that it was the extramural settlement (vicus), located on the west bank of Timiş, which was granted municipal rights, probably at the end of the second or at the beginning of the third century ad.