Constanța — Ovid's Forgotten Manuscript

Your journey begins in front of the Statuia lui Ovidiu, this imposing 3-meter bronze statue, erected in 1887 by Italian sculptor Ettore Ferrari. Inaugurated on October 20, 1887, for the bimillennium of Ovid's birth (43 BC), it commemorates the Roman poet exiled to Tomis. Located in the center of Piața Ovidiu, it was restored in 2013 to preserve the details of his face and parchment scroll. It is here, facing this icon of Constanța's historic center, that your investigation into the forgotten manuscript truly takes off, with the first clues revealing themselves on the stone pedestal.

A few steps away, the Muzeul de Istorie Națională și Arheologie Constanța awaits you, a building classified as a historical monument (cod LMI CT-II-m-A-02942) since 2004. Founded in 1913, it houses over 400,000 artifacts from the ancient city of Tomis, including 2nd-century AD statues of Hermes and Apollo. The building was constructed in 1928 on the foundations of a Roman temple dating back to 150 AD. In 1959, the site revealed a bronze statue of Ovid, from the 2nd century AD, on display since 1961. Here, you decipher symbols engraved on ancient pottery, linking the museum to the history of Constanța and Dobrudja.

Your quest then leads you to the Edificiul Roman cu Mozaic, one of the jewels of Tomis's archaeological heritage. These remains of a 4th-century AD Roman villa were discovered in 1954. The 140 m² polychrome mosaic, depicting geometric and floral motifs, is integrated into a protective building constructed in 1973. Although later than Ovid's exile (8-17 AD), this edifice is a remarkable example of Tomisian residential architecture, offering insight into the living environment of the time. Here, you uncover hidden patterns that seem to correspond to the poet's descriptions of Tomis's landscapes.

The Parcul Arheologic Constanța, created in 1974 over 3 hectares, is your next stop, a space for discovering the ancient site of Dobrudja. This park exhibits in situ Roman remains excavated between 1959 and 1972, including fragments of Ionic friezes and Corinthian capitals from the 1st-2nd century AD. Immediately adjacent to the History Museum, accessible within 200 m from Piața Ovidiu, this pedestrian area also incorporates Roman baths and column bases from the ancient port of Tomis. The scattered stones of the park hide riddles that refer to Ovid's descriptions of the barbarous shoreline.

Your exploration culminates at the Termele Romane Constanța, 2nd-century AD Roman public baths with a hypocaust heating system spanning 2000 m². Excavations in 1959 revealed frigidarium, tepidarium, and caldarium, restored in 1983. Estimated to accommodate 300 people, they were supplied by a 12 km aqueduct, located 400 m from Piața Ovidiu, within the Parcul Arheologic. It is in these ruins that you assemble the final fragments of the manuscript, revealing the conclusion of Ovid's story in Tomis. This journey through Constanța will have shown you the extent of Dobrudja's heritage, blending Roman and Byzantine history, and the legacy of an exiled poet.