The territory of Romania still has hidden, under the tons of earth accumulated in time, archeological vestiges waiting to be discovered. Many of them, which are known, are from the time of the ancient Dacian civilization, but also after the occupation of part of ancient Dacia by the Roman Empire. Many of them, already sewn on the surface, are found in the Orăștiei Mountains, in Hunedoara County. Some have been well preserved by archaeologists, others are awaiting their intervention for conservation.
The Dacian fortresses in the Orăștie Mountains, in the UNESCO patrimony
One of the most developed and important civilizations in ancient Europe was the one that flourished north of the Danube and is known today as the Dacian civilization. In the historical works of the communist period, it is known as the Daco-Getic civilization.
Together with the Celts and the Germans, the Dacians were one of the main barbarian peoples in Europe and one of the main enemies of the Roman Empire, even after 106 AD. The so-called free Dacians from the north and east of the Dacian province continued to raid the province and even south of the Danube, alone or with other barbarian tribes.
However, they left behind testimonies of their existence, development, knowledge and social development. One of the main testimonies of the Dacians is found in the Orăștie Mountains, and they are known today as the Dacian Citadels.
In 1999, the Dacian fortresses in the Orăștie Mountains, six defensive works from the late Iron Age, were created in the 1st century BC. and AD. as protection against the Roman conquest, they entered the UNESCO patrimony. Their extensive and well-preserved remains are located in a spectacular natural site and present a dramatic picture of a vigorous and innovative Iron Age civilization.
Sarmizegetusa Regia, the capital of Dacia, an invaluable treasure
Also here the archaeologists established that the remains of the Dacian capital were found, among the ruins of the Roman Fortification from Sarmizegetusa Regia. Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital and political center of the Dacians, located in the Orăștie Mountains in the Grădiștea Muncelului Natural Park.
Numerous spoils are used in the wall of the fortification: column drums (the outer segment between the East Gate and the South Gate), parts of the canals in the sacred area (the outer steps of the enclosure between the South Gate and the West Gate, the northern area in the vicinity of the East Gate), arch nails or gate tiles ”, show the archaeologists in the Historical-Architectural Study carried out at Sarmizegetusa Regia.
During the reign of the Thracian king Burebista (82/61 BC to 45/44 BC), the Geto-Dacian and Dacian tribes were unified in the Kingdom of Dacia, the capital being moved to Sarmizegetusa Regia, possibly from the Geto-Dacian bastion. Dacian of the Argedava.
Sarmizegetusa Regia was located at an altitude of 1200 meters, near a mountain peak, serving as the nucleus of a strategic defensive system that included the fortresses of Costești-Blidaru, Piatra Roșie, Costești-Cetățuie, Căpâlna and Bănița.
