Amutria (''Amutrion'', ''Amutrium'', ''Admutrium'', ''Ad Mutrium'', ''Ad Mutriam'', grc, Ἀμούτριον) was a

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus r ...

n town close to the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

and included in the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

road network, after the conquest of Dacia. The name is homonymous with the ancient name of the nearby

Motru River The Motru is a right tributary of the river Jiu in Southwestern Romania. It discharges into the Jiu in Gura Motrului, near the town Filiași. Its length is and its hydrological basin size is . Towns and villages The following towns are situa ...

. Its possible position at this river's junction gives a certain importance.

Ancient sources

Ptolemy's ''Geographia''

Amutria is mentioned in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

's ''

Geographia The ''Geography'' ( grc-gre, Γεωγραφικὴ Ὑφήγησις, ''Geōgraphikḕ Hyphḗgēsis'', "Geographical Guidance"), also known by its Latin names as the ' and the ', is a gazetteer, an atlas, and a treatise on cartography, com ...

'' (c. 150 AD) in the form Amutrion ( grc, Ἀμούτριον) as an important Dacian town, at latitude 50° 00' N and longitude 44° 45' E (note that he used a different

meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

and some of his calculations were off). It is located on a road between Drubetis and Potulatensioi.

Tabula Peutingeriana

Amutria is also depicted in the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The m ...

(2nd century AD) between Drubetis and

Pelendava Pelendava (''Pelendoua'', ''Potulatensioi'', ''Polonda'' ) was a Dacian town. Ancient sources Ptolemy's Geographia Tabula Peutingeriana Etymology History Dacian town Roman times Archaeology See also * Daci ...

, on one of the three roads build by Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

in Dacia. The road was connecting into

Via Trajana Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)'' The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusiu ...

and most likely crossing Trajan's Bridge over the Danube. The location corresponds to the one mentioned by Ptolemy.

Etymology

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n archaeologist and historian

Grigore Tocilescu Grigore George Tocilescu (26 October 1850 – 18 September 1909) was a Romanian historian, archaeologist, epigrapher and folkorist, member of Romanian Academy. He was a professor of ancient history at the University of Bucharest, author of Mare ...

, assumes that ''Amutria'' should be read Ad-mutriam, Ad Mutriam or Ad Mutrium, meaning ''by/at the Mutrium (Motru)''. The modern Romanian linguist Sorin Olteanu is also suggesting the form Ad Mutrius, with Mutrius possibly being the ancient name of Motru River.

Location

Amutria is hypothetically located at one of the following sites in

Oltenia Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...

(Southwestern

): * Valea Perilor, commune

Cătunele Cătunele is a commune in Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to th ...

, Gorj County *

Motru Motru () is a city in Romania, Gorj County. It is situated on the river Motru in western Oltenia. The county capital Târgu Jiu is located about 35 km northeast. The city administers eight villages: Dealu Pomilor, Horăști, Însurăței, ...

Gorj County Gorj County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gor(no)-'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”). Demographics In 2011, the county had a ...

Gura Motrului Gura may refer to: Places Eritrea *Gura, Eritrea, a formerly-important town of the Ottoman, Egyptian, Ethiopian, and Italian Empires India * Gura Sonigara, small village in Rajasthan, India * Gura, Nakodar, small village in Punjab, India *Gura, ...

, commune

Butoiești Butoiești is a commune located in Mehedinți County, Oltenia Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 173 ...

Mehedinți County Mehedinți County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia and Bulgaria. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality (Orșova) and three communes ( Dubova, Eșelnița, and Svinița) ...

Botoșești-Paia Botoșești-Paia is a commune in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bul ...

Dolj County Dolj County (; originally meant ''Dol(no)- Jiu'', "lower Jiu", as opposed to ''Gorj'' (''upper Jiu'')) is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova. Demographics In 2011, the cou ...

Valea Perilor/Cătunele

Based on the archaeological survey and excavations performed at Cătunele in 1885, 1973, and later in 1981-84, a Roman

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...

and civilian settlement was discovered. The castrum lies in the Valea Perilor village, on an

alluvial terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...

of the Motru river, approximately 130 meters from the highway that connects the modern towns of

and

Baia de Aramă Baia de Aramă is a small Romanian town located in Mehedinți County, in the historical region of Oltenia, with a population of 5,349. The river Brebina runs through the town. Some Dacian ruins can be found in the town, as well as the 17th cent ...

. It is bordered in the east by the Chivădarul River and was intended to oversee the Valea Motrului mountainous region inhabited by a large Dacian population. The archaeological site is cataloged as ''Chivadarul'' (LMI code ''GJ-I-s-B-09155'') by the

Romanian National Institute of Historical Monuments Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

in the

List of historical monuments in Romania Romania's major historical sites, known as '' monumente istorice'', are listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments in Romania, which was created between 2004 and 2005. The National Register contains 29,540 Heritage sites are entered in ...

. The shape of the castrum is rectangular with rounded corners, with the dimensions 156 x 114 m². The castum is aligned lengthwise with the north-south axis, with the

Porta Praetoria Porta can refer to: People * Porta (rapper) (born 1988), stagename of Christian Jiménez Bundo, a Spanish rap singer * Bernardo Porta (1758–1829), Italian composer active in France * Bianca Della Porta (born 1991), Canadian ice hockey and rugby ...

on the southern side. The first systematic research was made in 1973 by the

Iron Gates Region Museum The Iron Gates Region Museum ( ro, Muzeul Regiunii Porţilor de Fier) is a museum in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania. History In 1912, Professor Alexandru Bărcăcilă established the "History Museum of Trajan High School". It was moved in 1926 ...

from

Drobeta-Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. "Drobeta" is the name of the ancient Dacian and Roman towns at the site, and the modern ...

and the Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest and then continued during 1981-1984, done by Gorj County Museum in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology in Bucharest. On the territory of the castrum were discovered many

sherd In archaeology, a sherd, or more precisely, potsherd, is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels, as well. Occasionally, a piece of broken p ...

s of Roman and Dacian origin, indicating that the Dacians had coexisted with Roman soldiers and settlers. Some of the Dacian pottery was handmade, while others were worked on the

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

. These two populations - Dacians and Romans formed the

ethnogenesis Ethnogenesis (; ) is "the formation and development of an ethnic group". This can originate by group self-identification or by outside identification. The term ''ethnogenesis'' was originally a mid-19th century neologism that was later introdu ...

of the

Romanian people The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romanian c ...

and the archaeological evidence sustains this fact. An important discovery regarding the chronology of this castrum is a Roman coin issued by Emperor

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

(c. 218 AD – 268 AD), that represented his wife, Salonina. This is a great indication that the castrum was still under Roman control in Gallienus' time and that it was probably abandoned only during the retreat from Dacia during

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...

(271 – 275 AD). It was also the discovery site of a signum militare in the form of a hand made of bronze, wearing a representation of goddess Victoria on the fingertips. The object is kept at the Iron Gates Region Museum. The earlier excavations from 1885 led to other discoveries, including coins of

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself was ...

, arrows and rings with inscriptions. To the north and east of the castrum, were the ''canabae'' (Roman civil settlements), stretching over an area of about 20 ha. A Roman road (''Via Romana'') was also identified. The road was connecting this site to Castrum Pinoasa, passing through the modern villages of Glogova and Apa Neagră then heading towards Tismana River.

Botoșești-Paia

Locating ''Amutria'' at Botoșești, a site with a very rich evidence of a Roman presence, has a problem: it is not by the Motru river and does not fit the ''Ad Mutrium'' toponym connection. However, there are two significant archeological sites cataloged by the Romanian National Institute of Historical Monuments: ''Cetatea Micului'' (LMI code ''DJ-I-s-B-07875''), a Dacian fortress from late

La Tène Period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

(1st century AD) and ''Piscul cazacilor'' (LMI code ''DJ-I-s-B-07876'') site which includes a Dacian fortress (La Tène Period) and a

Daco-Roman The term Daco-Roman describes the Romanization (cultural), Romanized culture of Dacia under the rule of the Roman Empire. Etymology The Daco-Roman mixing theory, as an origin for the Romanian people, was formulated by the earliest Romanian schol ...

settlement (2nd - 4th century). ''Piscul Cazacilor'' is one huge area (over two kilometres long) with lots with Roman artefacts, including pottery, bricks, and dressed stones. The site is placed in the northern third of the ''Piscul Cazacilor hill'', and also on the left bank of the Paia River, to the north of the main site. Being perhaps a station, it includes the ancient Roman road connecting

Drobeta ''Drobeta'' is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae. The genus was erected by Francis Walker (entomologist), Francis Walker in 1858. Species * ''Drobeta albicauda'' (Hampson, 1910) * ''Drobeta albirufa'' (Druce, 1909) * ''Drobeta andrevia'' ...

with

, situated near the modern road coming from Botosesti Paia in the north. Among the archaeological findings at the Paia river, there is evidence of the Mithraic cult practiced also in Dacia. A votive plaque has been recovered, with an inscription from which it can only be read

gentilicium The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expande ...

Valerius, probably a servus villicus (slave). Another discovery is a good quality 9 cm bronze statuette depicting

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

, the god of trade, with hair in locks, small wings in the hair and a crown (not

petasus A ''petasos'' or petasus ( el, πέτασος) is a broad brimmed hat of Thessalian origin worn by ancient Greeks, Thracians and Etruscans, often in combination with the chlamys cape. It was made of wool felt, leather, straw or animal skin. Women ...

) on the head. He stands with his weight on the right leg, while the head tilts slightly to the right. The right arm hangs along the body. A corner of the mantle can be seen on the left shoulder, hanging along the arm and folding on the forearm. The statuette is in the inventory of Iron Gates Region Museum.

Gura Motrului/Butoiești

Romanian journalist and historian Petru Broșteanu, as well as other authors, placed Amutria at

, which in Romanian literally means ''the mouth of River Motru'', based on measurements made out of Tabula Peutingeriana, and other sources. The location also fits well with the ''Ad Mutrium'' interpretation of the name. Archaeological investigations at Butoiești in 1884 revealed traces of Roman civilization.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

(English translation, incomplete) * ttp://www.verticalonline.ro/castrele-romane-din-gorj-lasate-in-paragina Castrele romane din Gorj lasate în paragina(Romanian) * Dacian fortresses, settlements and Roman castra from Romania
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{{Dacia topics Archaeological sites in Romania Ruins in Romania Dacian towns History of Oltenia Historic monuments in Gorj County