Principia of Legio I Italica

As in any legionary camp of the Roman Army, principia were the central part of the camp of Legio I Italica in Novae. The building served as the legion's administrative centre and place for official religious ceremonies. The most important part of the principia was the chapel of the standards where the legionary eagle was stored.

Alterations

The building of the principia was modified several times in the times of the Roman Empire before it reached the form that can be seen today in the ruins. After the building has been excavated it was decided to create a reconstruction of how it used to look now. To achieve this goal the Bulgarian heritage administration ordered to build a metal structure on top of the ruins. The reconstruction stands there to this day, but many archaeologists, especially the Polish ones, criticize it. In their opinion it has the proportions wrong.

Architecture

The principia in Novae were built in a rectangular shape with the main entrance/exit facing north, towards the enemy. The biggest part of the building was the forum militare. It was a big plaza surrouned by a portico. Research by archaeologists from the University of Warsaw suggests that almost the whole legion could be present there at the same time.

At the back of the building was the basilica. This too could serve as place where legionnaires could gather for ceremonies. The basilica also housed the administrative offices. In the centre of the back wall of the building was the chapel of the standards, the most sacred place in the whole camp.

Wall reinforcement

During their research, the archaeologists from the University of Warsaw discovered that the walls of the principia were reinforced with magic as additional protection. Sadly, they were unable to discover what spell was used to achieve that effect. Only small traces of magical energy were left in the stones.

RUINED STRUCTURE
7th century CE

Founding Date

circa 70 CE

Type

Military base / complex

Parent Location

Novae

Owning Organization

Roman Army