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cULtURALtrails
and later archaeologists. The experts continued excavations
until 1965 and soon afterwards presented their discoveries to
the public. A part of the former riverbed of the Savinja was also
examined, where some fragments of the ravaged vaults were
lying. Excavations continued in 1964 on the eastern side of the
settlement, and another part of the ©empeter necropolis was
found there. In addition to the foundations of the vaults and
graves built from brick and limestone, others were only lined
with stone and some graves were dug into the soil. Vestiges of
cremation were discovered in some places. Most grave goods
were discovered in the simpler graves and are stored today in
Celje Regional Museum.
And when was this great burial place demolished? The ©empeter
burial place was completely demolished at the end of the 3rd
century, when the Savinjska Valley was affected by a severe flood
(similar, but probably less severe floods affect the Valley every few
years). The river tore away a large portion of the embankment,
together with the road. The monuments near the river fell into
the river and were preserved because river sand covered them
and much of the stone was used later through the centuries as
construction material.
During the excavations the possibility of reconstructing the vaults
was being considered. A few years after the excavations, plans
were drawn up, and in 1960 an archaeological park with four
completely restored vaults and numerous smaller tombstones
was opened. In the eastern part of the settlement, part of the
Roman road was also restored, with ground plans of the vaults
and smaller graves nearby.
Already in the Roman times, there were two large burial places in
©empeter: the earlier one, also known as the Eastern necropolis,
which is also exhibited, existed already in the 1st century, and
the burial sites from the 3rd and the 4th centuries, known as the
Western necropolis, was discovered in Dobrteša vas. The remains
of the Eastern necropolis may be seen at two locations, but
certainly the most beautiful part is near St Peter’s church, where
four monumental reconstructed family vaults stand among a
number of other monuments. This part of the cemetery is one
of those carried away by the Savinja during the floods; however,
they were discovered after 1700 years. Altogether, over 600 parts
of vaults, stone boundaries and statues were discovered. Today,
this all stands where it was found, rearranged into a park.
FOuR NECROPOLISES OF ROMAN
FAMILIES
The oldest among the four reconstructed vaults belongs to
Vindonius, probably from the second part of the 1st century. It
was built by Gaius Vindonius Successus for himself and his wife
Julia. Vindonius was an important official in Celeia. What is special
about this vault is that it is decorated with a relief from Greek
mythology: Heracles guiding Alcestes from the underground,
accompanied by a hunter and a satyr.
The special feature of the Spectatius vault is that it is 8.25 m high.
Gaius Spectatius Priscianus was a duovir (mayor) of Celeia and
the vault was build by another mayor, Gaius Spectatius Finitus.
The container for the ashes is decorated with various reliefs −
three scenes from the myth of Iphigenia among the Taurians,
Dioscures, Castor and Pollux, nymphs and satyrs, four seasons, a
man with arms etc.
The Enius vault is one of the most beautiful vaults in ©empeter
with regard to composition and execution. It is 6.6 m high, and
was constructed by Quintus Enius Liberalus and Enia Opidana for
themselves and their children. One of the particularities of the
vault is an image of a woman in a characteristic Noric costume,
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indicating that the ancient Celtic people preserved their old
customs.
The last of the reconstructed vaults is the Secundinus vault, the
most recent, since it was built in the 3rd century. As the vault is
not richly decorated, it can be assumed that it was unfinished,
which might indicate the decline of power of the Celje people
at that time.
Some minor tombstones, burial urns and sarcophagi, and
fragments of stone statues and reliefs can also be seen in the
park. Numerous fragments demonstrate that there were several
large vaults similar to the four reconstructed
EXTRAORdINARY dOCuMENTS
OF ROMAN ART
Today, Slovenian museums hold thousands of extraordinary
examples of Roman art from Slovenian territory. Some artefacts
originate from outside the region and were later imported, while
a number of them originate here. Some portraits in stone of
important personalities of the period have survived, among them
Germanicus from Rifnik near Celje, a bust of Hadrian found in
Ptuj, and a well-known statue of a citizen of Emona made of
gilded bronze.
The majority of the precious items are sculptures and statuary
from the Roman necropolis at ©empeter, which are among the
most important artefacts from this field. The sculpture is in Noric-
Panonnian style, which extended throughout central Slovenia. The
execution is exclusively local, and the material is predominantly
Pohorje marble. Numerous valuables Roman art works still excite
admiration, even though in Slovenian museums they are often
preserved only in fragments.