SETTLEMENTS IN ANCIENT HISTORY AND EARLY MIDDLE AGES
The important research carried out by the archaeologist Dr Dušan Popović (1994) showed that the most powerful forts were on the Danube in Surduk, Belegiš and Novi Banovci. They later evolved into Celtic opida and Roman castra. On the territory of the municipality of Stara Pazova, these prehistoric sites with settlements were located in the Danube valley, at the sites of Belegiš (Šančine, Gradac i Jugovićev breg), Novi Banovci (Gradina or Purger), Surduk (Gradina) and Stari Banovci (Beli breg ).
The period of prehistory ended with the arrival of the Romans in the middle of the 1st century BC. In the beginning, from the 3rd and 4th century AD, the interests of the Romans were exclusively military-strategic. In addition to the aforementioned, they built military fortifications, raised entire cities, built roads, hydromelioration channels and bridges. They were engaged in agriculture, cultivated vineyards and built spas and health resorts. In order to protect the line of the northern boundaries of the empire and consolidate the position along the province of Pannonia, they formed numerous fortifications in the Srem region that protected them from the fall of the barbarians. Thus, on the right bank of the Danube, the following Roman cities were established on the territory of the municipality of Stara Pazova: Burgenae (Novi Banovci) and Rittium (Surduk). Both castra represented the important links in the chain of defensive fortresses on the border.
