Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa - the capital of the Roman Dacia - rose at the bottom of Retezat Mountains, in the South-Western part of the Hateg region. The town was at 8 km from the pass between Banat and Transylvania, which old name was Tapae, today Iron Gates of Transylvania.
The settlement date of the capital is not known exactly. An inscription discovered at the beginning of the 14th century, in the village Gradiste - Sarmizegetusa says: "On the command of the emperor Cesar Nerva Traianus Augustus, son of the devine Nerva, was settled the Dacian Colony by Decimus Terentius Scaurianus, its governor". The name of the governor shows that the settlement of the new town was done in the first years of the concerning of Dacia (after some opinions in 106-107, after others 108-110).
The settlement of the colony was marked also by the emission of a coin (sestertius) at Rome, from the Senate order, dedicated to "the best ruler", Traian emperor.
The choosing of the place of the town by Traian was not at random. The metropolis had some strategical and economical advantages. Retezat Mountains at the South and Poiana Ruscai Mountains at the North were natural barriers difficult to cross for the eventual invaders. The capital, who's territory territorium was from Tibiscum to Micia till the entrance in the Jiu pass, was developing in peace, defended by the Roman camps Tibiscum (today Jupa), Voislova, Micia (Vetel) and Bumbesti.
By Ulpia Traian was crossing the imperial road from Danube and marked the link between the North of the province to Porolissum (Moigrad).
The antic city had an area of 32 ha surrounded by walls. In the hearth of the city were to main roads (cardo maximus oriented North-South and decumanus maximus oriented East-West), at its crossing being the main public building - Forum. But the city was not only inside the walls. Outside the walls, on a great area, were the village, the craftsmen workshops (brick makers, glass blowers), the temples and other public or private buildins. Also outside the walls were the cemeteries of the city (sepulcreta) identified at East and also at the West. The population was around 25.000 - 30.000 people.
The archaeologists have discovered and get out to light the constructions from old times of Ulpia Traiana, as many objects which are hosted in the museum from nearby.
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| Last update: 2008, August 1 | |||||||||
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