Town on the banks of the river Sava, one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Romans conquered the Celtic settlement in I c. BC. During the Tetrarchy in 293 it was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire, besides Milan, Trier and Nicomedia. In the IV c. Sirmium was large and luxurious city with more than 100,000 inhabitants (status of modern world metropolis), with a magnificent imperial palace, hippodrome, theater, amphitheater, aqueduct, baths and gold coins mint. It was an important early Christian center, where five major church councils were held. In 306 St. Demetrius was executed in it. It was conquered by Ostrogoths at the end of the IV c., ravaged by Huns in 441, and occupied by the Avars in 582. In Byzantine times (IX c.) city bishop was a great Slavic enlightener Methodius. Many Roman emperors were born or resided in Sirmium. Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his philosophical treatise To himself and died in Sirmium. A visitor can see the remains of the royal palace with mosaics and frescoes.
Remains of Sirmium are situated on the locality of the modern day Sremska Mitrovica, 55 km west of Belgrade (Roman Singidunum) and 145 km away from Kostolac (Roman Viminacium). Archaeologists have found traces of organized human life on the site of Sirmium dating from 5,000 BC.The name Sirmium by itself means "flow", "flowing water", "wetland", referring to its close river position on the nearby Sava, Latin Savus.
With the Scordisci as allies, the Roman proconsul Marcus Vinicius took Sirmium in around 14 BC.In the 1st century AD, Sirmium gained a status of a colony of the citizens of Rome, and became an important military and strategic center of Pannonia province. The war expeditions of Roman emperors Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, and Claudius II were prepared in Sirmium.Constantine the Great spent an extended period of time in Sirmium with his family, celebrating the fifteenth jubilee of his rule. His son Constantius II was born in the privileged surroundings of the imperial palace, and his eldest son Crispus celebrated his marriage there. At one time, Constantine the Great was planning to make Sirmium the new capital of the Roman Empire, before he began building Byzantium (Constantinople).
In 293, with the establishment of tetrarchy, the Roman Empire was split into four parts; Sirmium emerged as one of the four capital cities of the Roman Empire, the other three being Trier, Mediolanum, and Nicomedia. During the tetrarchy, Sirmium was the capital of emperor Galerius. With the establishment of Praetorian prefectures in 318, the capital of the prefecture of Illyricum was Sirmium. Sirmium was capital of this prefecture until 379, when the western part of the Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (including Sirmium) was attached to the Praetorian prefecture of Italia. The eastern part of Illyricum remained a separate prefecture with the capital in Thessalonica under the East Roman Empire.
From the 4th century, the city was an important Christian center, and the seat of the Bishop of Sirmium. Five church councils, the Councils of Sirmium, were held in Sirmium. The city also had an emperor's palace, horse racing arena, mint, arena theatre, theatre, as well as many workshops, public baths, temples, public palaces and luxury villas. Ancient historian Ammianus Marcellinus called it "the glorious mother of cities".
At the end of the 4th century, Sirmium was brought under the sway of the Goths, and later, was again annexed to the Eastern Roman Empire. In 441, Sirmium was conquered by the Huns, and after this conquest, it remained for more than a century in the hands of various other tribes, such as Eastern Goths and Gepids. For a short time, Sirmium was the centre of the Gepid State and King Cunimund minted golden coins there. After 567, Sirmium reverted to the Eastern Roman Empire. The city was finally conquered and destroyed by the Avars in 582.
Archaeological excavation in Sirmium has revealed, in addition to the imperial palace and adjacent circus, a number of other monumental public buildings, including the so-called “Licinian Baths,” a granary (horreum) and commercial and industrial areas. Luxuriously appointed urban residences have been discovered, as well as multi-storied apartment buildings (insulae) where the poorer elements of the population lived. The city was protected by a circuit of strong defensive walls and supplied with water by an aqueduct from the Vranjaš spring in Fruška Gora. The city streets were paved, flanked by porticoes and drained with sewers. Coins were struck in an imperial mint in the city and workshops produced various objects in precious metals, glass, and pottery. Bricks were also manufactured there.
In the course of archaeological excavations in the imperial palace over 350 m² of mosaic pavements have been uncovered. The pavements belong to different building phases in the palace; the earliest is dated to the end of the third century, and the most recent phase to the middle of the fourth century. The majority of the pavements are geometric polychrome mosaics (known as “geometric carpets”) which are typical of the late Roman Empire. The mosaics are executed in the western style and have analogies with the mosaics in Diocletian’s Palace in Split.
The mosaics are worked in the technique known as opus tessellatum (consisting of small square pieces of stone - tesserae); the decorative motifs employed are geometric, floral or various guilloche and cable patterns. Only one mosaic with a figural representation is preserved, of the god Mercury. The mosaics from the palace complex are the best examples of this type of pavement found in Sirmium to date. Their high quality attests the superior standards of workmanship which are typical of tetrarchic architecture in the Balkans.
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