Archaeological sites Romania

They bear witness to the importance of the site during the Roman period. What remains of the walls of the castrum, which must have been 3 m high and 1.5 m thick, allows us to guess the rooms and the four towers. This fortress was used to control the river and the bridge that spanned it. Of this Trajan Bridge (Podul Traian), named after the Roman Emperor who decided to build it, only one pillar remains. An architectural feat for the time, it was built between 103 and 105 to facilitate the invasion of Dacia by the Romans. Upstream, there are ruins of thermal baths.

In Moigrad, 8 km northeast of Zalău, the Roman fortress of Porolissum was built on the site of a Dacian fortress and became the capital of the province of Dacia Porolissensis. Thanks to extensive reconstruction and restoration work, the ruins include moats, surrounding walls, baths, temples and an amphitheatre. From 106 AD, the fortress marked the northern frontier of Roman Dacia. It is thought to have had a population of 20,000, and many soldiers were housed in the city's two large stone forts.

This city (not to be confused with the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa Regia) was the main settlement in Roman Dacia, and was home to many institutions. Founded by Emperor Trajan shortly after the conquest of Dacia in 106 as Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa, it had a population of 20,000 to 30,000. Today, only the foundations of the citadel remain, allowing us to imagine its past grandeur and remarkable organization. You'll recognize the Augustan palace (whose courtyard hosted meetings of the Dacian High Council), the 5,000-seat amphitheater, the forum with its tall marble columns, villas and temples. The entire city has yet to be uncovered, and excavations are continuing. As is often the case, until the early ^19th century, the stones were used as building materials by local villagers.

Not far from the archaeological site, in the village of Sarmizegetusa, the museum is a useful complement to a visit to the remains. Here you'll find objects found during excavations and reconstructions: amphorae, farming tools, games, a model of the amphitheatre (with its special effects machine!), fragments of bronze statues, school tablets, sundials, lead pipes for distributing water..

Sarmizegetusa is 16 km from Hațeg, on the road to Caransebeș. The (rare) buses between Hațeg and Reșița or Deva and Zeicani stop here.

This fortress was built in the ^mid-7th century BC by Greek settlers from Asia Minor, before coming under Roman control in the ^1st century AD. Among the ruins are the necropolis, the oldest Greek burial complex on the Black Sea, and two artisan kilns used to fire pottery during the Roman period. The fortress is also worth seeing for its setting: it lies 6 km east of the village, on the spectacular Cape Doloșman and its imposing limestone cliffs, at the junction of lakes Razim and Golovița.

At the entrance to the archaeological site, a museum informs visitors about the history of the city and presents the objects unearthed during the excavations, which began in the early ^20th century: statuettes, vases, painted ceramics, bas-reliefs... Then paths lead you through the remains. You'll recognize the city walls that once surrounded a 60-hectare city. You'll also see the remains of temples dedicated to Zeus and Aphrodite, cobbled streets, thermal baths and a ^6th-century Christian basilica. Please note that access to the site is difficult without a car.

Some thirty kilometers south of the city, the Orăștie mountains are home to a complex of Dacian fortresses, erected between the ^1st century BC and the ^1st century AD around the kingdom's capital, Sarmizegetusa Regia, to protect it from Roman invasions. This complex of six fortresses, listed by Unesco since 1999, bears witness to the power and wealth of this civilization, then at its height. Built on valleys, hills and terraces at altitudes of between 500 and 1,200 m, they also have the advantage of being set in superb natural landscapes, making them even more attractive to visit.

Sarmizegetusa Regia, the ancient political, military, religious and cultural capital of the Dacians, is the most remarkable (and most accessible) site. Not to be confused with the Dacian-Roman city of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, founded by the Roman emperor Trajan (see below). Located on the Grădiștea de Munte hill, at an altitude of 1,200 m, the site extends over 17 ha and several terraces. It comprises a fortress, a sacred area and a civilian quarter. The sacred zone, reached by a paved road, includes several rectangular and circular sanctuaries (where sacrifices were performed). These remains give an idea of the monumental appearance of the site before it was destroyed by the Romans. The civil quarter, which extended over more than a hundred artificial terraces, only a handful of which have been excavated, included houses and workshops (metalworking, pottery, glass, coinage, etc.). The Dacian capital was finally conquered in 106 by Trajan, marking the beginning of the Roman occupation of the territory. Sarmizegetusa Regia was sacked by the new masters of the territory, as were the other fortresses.

Other fortresses that were part of the Dacian capital's defensive system include Luncani-Piatra Roșie, in the village of Boșorod, and Blidaru, in Costești, whose ruins can be visited. These are a little way off the road linking Orăștie to Grădiștea. The Blidaru fortress was conquered in 102 by the Romans, rebuilt by King Decebalus, before falling again in 106. The other fortresses are: Costești-Cetățuie, Bănița and Căpâlna. The latter, a little further away, is located south of the town of Sebeș.