RESTORATION OF THE SOUTH GATE AT THE ROMAN CASTRUM TIMACUM MINUS

<p>The late antique site of Timacum Minus near Knjaževac (Eastern Serbia) has been archaeologically investigated for almost 50 years. At the end of the nineties of the last century, a gate was discovered on the southern rampart of this Roman castrum, which was protected by two towers on its eastern and western ends. The gate and towers were built using large pieces of stone, so massive granite was used in the foundation parts, while the ground part of the towers, together with the gate itself, was built from polygonal hewn blocks (ashlar). The wall of one of the towers provided valuable information about the architecture of the gate itself and its towers. However, already during the excavation, it was noticed that the mentioned wall had five degree lean from the vertical axis towards north, which is why there was a danger of it falling over. In three campaigns, a project was created and conservation and restoration works were conducted on the gate itself, its towers, and its surroundings, which saved the 1700-year-old monument. The paper presents a project carried out in cooperation with three institutions, which led from the endangered state of the monument of our cultural heritage to a tourist attraction that is now presented to the scientific, professional, and general public.</p>