Interests and methodology of research

The research interests of Dr Nadežda Gavrilović Vitas are related to Roman provincial archaeology, with a focus on religion, cults, art and minor arts (primarily Roman statues, sculpture, and votive and funerary monuments and their iconography). In the context of Roman provincial religion, Dr Gavrilović Vitas studies ritual practices and experiences, cult objects, sanctuaries and sacral spaces of Roman, Greek, Oriental and indigenous deities, mystery cults etc., along with research of different aspects of polytheism and monotheism in Late Antiquity. Besides the aforementioned, Dr Gavrilović Vitas’ other interests encompass the life of Roman settlements and burial customs in necropolises during the periods of Late Antiquity and Early Christianity. Dr Gavrilović Vitas is also interested in different topics in profane and spiritual culture of the inhabitants of the Central Balkans’ Roman provinces, in the periods of Antiquity, Late Antiquity and Early Christianity.

Education

2010 – Doctoral thesis in Archaeology. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, PhD: Cults of Asia Minor and Syrian deities in Roman provinces of Central Balkans

2003 – Master’s thesis in Archaeology. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. MA: Cults of Hercules and Mercury in Moesia Superior from the 1^st to the 4^th century

1998 – Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade

Employment

2021 – Institute of Archaeology, Principal Research Fellow

2016 – Institute of Archaeology, Senior Research Associate

2011 – Institute of Archaeology, Research Associate

2004 – Institute of Archaeology, Research Assistant

1999 – Institute of Archaeology, Research Trainee

Languages: English, French

Director of projects

(2021 -) Aspects of the cult of the so-called Danubian Riders, in the Roman provinces, Institute of Archaeology Belgrade, Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ОEAW)

(2021 -) Conservation and presentation of thermae of Constantine the Great’s villa at Mediana, a project financed by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia

(2019 -) Archaeology of Niš, Ponišavlje and southern Serbia from prehistory to the Middle Ages, Branch of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Niš, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

(2017 -) Archaeological research of Antique Niš (Naissus), Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

(2017 -) Building with Octagon, Gradsko polje, Niš Fortress, project financed by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology Belgrade, City of Niš

(2014) “Archaeological research of Municipium Malvesiatium, Skelani”, Skelani, Republic of Srpska, financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Srpska

(2012 -)  “Mediana –Imperial residence of Constantine the Great”, project financed by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology Belgrade, City of Niš

Participation in projects

(2017 -) Building with Octagon, Gradsko polje Niš Fortress, project financed by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology Belgrade, City of Niš

(2012 -) Mediana – Imperial residence of Constantine the Great, project financed by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology Belgrade, City of Niš

(2011-2019) Romanisation, urbanisation and transformation of urban centres of civilian and military character in Roman provinces on the territory of Serbia, a project of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

(2010 -2011) Constantine the Great’s Villa at Mediana, project of Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

(2003-2010) Urbanisation and transformation of city centres of civilian, military and residential character on the territory of the Roman provinces of Moesia, Pannonia and Dalmatia, project of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia

(2000 -) Mediana Archaeological Park, a project of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

Scholarships, grants and professional studies

2018 – JESH Grant (Joint Excellence in Science and Humanities, OEAW) Austrian Academy of Sciences

1999-2002 – Scholarship for young researchers for postgraduate studies, Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Serbia

Memberships

(2021) Archaeological Board of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Member of the Serbian Archaeological Society; from 2017. President of the session of Classical Archaeology

(2013-2017) Editor of the journal “Archaeology in Serbia”

(2017 – ) International Project “Iconography of Riders on the presentations from the Roman provinces of Noricum, Pannonia, Dalmatia, Dacia, Moesia, Macedonia, Thracia and Asia”, research from different institutions (University of Sofia; Institute of Archaeology, in Belgrade; Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje; Croatian Academy of Sciences, Zagreb; Austrian Academy of Sciences OEAW, in Vienna; Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Cluj-Napoca; National Museum, in Budapest; etc.)

(2005 -) Project F. E. R. C. AN (Fontes Epigraphici Religionum Celticarum Antiquarum), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW)

International conferences

• Late Antique Villae in the Balkans (3rd – 7th c. AD). Current Research Questions and Perspectives, Archaeology and History of the Balkans in Late Antiquity (3rd-8th century AD), 1st International Workshop, Lille, France, 10th-12th November 2021.
• Sanctuaries in the Danubian Provinces. New Results and Perspectives, Szeged, Hungary, 15-16 October 2021.
• XXIV International Limes Congress, Belgrade-Viminacium, Serbia, September 2nd-9th 2018.
• VIII International Conference “Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art”, Moscow, Russia, October 2-6^th 2018.
• 15th International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art, Graz, Austria, June 14-20^th 2017.
• 1st International Roman and Late Antique Thrace Conference „Cities, Territories and Identities”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 7-10^th October 2016.
• International workshop “Felix Kanitz – 150 years of research in Niš”, Niš, Serbia, May 29-30^th 2014.
• 52^nd National Archaeological Conference NIAM -BAS 2013, Hisarya, Bulgaria,May 28-31^st  2013.
• International Symposium “Romanising Oriental Gods? Religious transformations in the Balkan provinces in the Roman period. New finds and novel perspectives“, Skopje, Macedonia, September 18-21^st 2013.
• International conference “Science and Contemporary University”, Niš, Serbia, November 15. and 16^th 2013.
• XI^th F.E.R.C.AN (Fontes Epigraphici Religionum Celticarum Antiquarum) Workshop, Erfurt, Germany, May 18-24^th 2011.
• X^th F.E.R.C.AN (Fontes Epigraphici Religionum Celticarum Antiquarum) Workshop, Paris, France, May 24.-26^th 2010.
• International conference “Kosovo and Metochia in civilization courses (Kosovo i Metohija u civilizacijskim tokovima)”, Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia, October 8.- 11^th 2009.
• IX^th F.E.R.C.AN (Fontes Epigraphici Religionum Celticarum Antiquarum) Workshop, Molina de Aragon, Spain, September 17.-20^th 2008.

National conferences

• Annual meetings of the Serbian Archaeological Society (2017-2022)

Bibliography

Monographs

• Gavrilović Vitas N. 2021. Ex Asia et Syria. Oriental Religions in the Roman Central Balkans, Archaeopress Roman Archaeology 78. Oxford: Archaeopress Publishing.
• Vasić, M. Milošević-Jevtić, G. Gavrilović-Vitas, N. Crnoglavac, V. 2016. Constantine’s Villa at Mediana, Niš: Narodni muzej Niš
• Petković, S. Miladinović-Radmilović, N. Gavrilović-Vitas, N. Ilijić, B. 2016. Funeral Ritual and the Cult of Dionysus in Ravna, Belgrade-Knjaževac: Arheološki institut Begrad, Zavičajni muzej Knjaževac.
• Gavrilović, N. 2014. The Cults of Hercules and Mercury in Moesia Superior from 1^st to 4^th century, Belgrade: Institute of Archaeology

Chapters in international monographs and edited volumes

• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2021.ЕхAsia Minor: Orientals on Votive and Funerary Monuments from the Central Balkan Roman Provinces, People Abroad. in Proceedings of the XVI. International  Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art (April 9-13th 2019), ed. J. Lipps, Tübinger  Archäeologische Forschungen, Band 31, 271-286.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2020. Votive Relief with a Representation of a Reclining Hercules from Bela Palanka (Remesiana), in Illyricum Romanum, Studiola in Honorem Miloje Vasić, eds. I. Popović, S. Petković, Monographs no. 73, 70-80. Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2020. Dolicheneum and Dolichenus’ cult objects from the locality Brza Palanka – Egeta, in Contribution to the study of the cult of Iuppiter Dolichenus, Monumenta  Marmore Aereque Perenniora, a volume dedicated to Ante Rencić-Miočević, eds. I. Radman- Livaja, T. Bilić, 204-223. Zagreb.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2020.The Cults of Aesculapius and Hygieia in the Central Balkans Roman Provinces, in Ancient Cult in Balkans through Archaeological Findings and Iconography, eds. S. Petković, N. Gavrilović Vitas, 67-83. Serbian Archaeological Society Belgrade.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2020. Palmyrene Funerary Sculptures from Singidunum, u Studia Honoraria  Archaeologica. Zbornik radova u prigodi 65. rodjendana prof. dr. sc. Mirjane Sanader, ed. D.  Tončinić, I. Kaić, V. Matijević, M. Vukov, 125-137. Zagreb
• Gavrilović-Vitas, N. 2019. Beyond the Borders: The Significance of the Frontiers between Provinces of the Central Balkans in the Context of Roman Art, у Искусство Древнего мира / Art of the Ancient World, Vol. 9, ed. S. V. Maltseva, E. Staniukovich-Denisova, A. V. Zakharova, 93-102. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg Univ. Press.
• Gavrilović-Vitas, N. 2019. People behind the faces: Iconography and its meaning on funerary monuments in the western parts of the Central Balkans’ Roman provinces,  Akten des 15. Internationalen Kolloquiums zum Provinzialromischen Kunstschaffen Der Stifter und sein Monument, Hrsg. B. Porod, P. Scherrer, 164-181. Graz: Universalmuseum Joanneum.

Papers in scientific journals

• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2021. The Cult of Goddess Fortuna in the Roman Central Balkans, Starinar, LXXI: 163-180.
• Гавриловић Витас, Н. 2021. Kулт бога Аполона у римским провинцијама на централном Балкану (The Cult of God Apollo in the Roman provinces of Central Balkans), Зборник Народног музеја. Археологија. Archéologie. Књ. 25, св. 1, 173-200. Београд.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N. 2020, Monumental altar from Singidunum with Scenes of Sacrificial Procession – Pompa et Immolatio, Starinar, LXX: 95-109.
• Gavrilović Vitas, N., Andjelković Grašar, J. 2020. A Message Beyond the Grave: Hercules rescuing Hesione on a Stojnik funerary monument, Starinar, LXX: 111-125
• Gavrilović-Vitas, N. 2019. Syrian Priesthood in the Territory of Danube Limes of Moesia Superior: Funerary Monument dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus and Dea Syria from Glamija. Starinar LXIX: 231-246.
• Gavrilović-Vitas, N. Milošević-Jevtić, G. 2019. Building with Octagon from the locality of “Gradsko polje” in Niš (Naissus). New Archaeological Excavations. Starinar LXIX: 247-272.
• Gavrilović-Vitas, N. 2019. Trougaona votivna ploča Jupitera Dolihena iz Egete. Zbornik Narodnog muzeja u Beogradu, Arheologija, 24/ 1: 189-206.