Apulon (''Apoulon'', ''Apula'') 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 fortress city close to modern

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...

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 ...

. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name of Apulum is derived. The exact location is believed by many archaeologists to be the Dacian fortifications on top of ''Piatra Craivii'', Craiva,

Cricău Cricău ( hu, Boroskrakkó; german: Krakau) is a commune located in the central part of Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 2,097 and is composed of three villages: Craiva (''Királypataka''), Cricău and Tibru (''Tibor'') ...

, about 20 km north of Alba-Iulia. Apulon was an important Dacian political, economic and social center, the capital of the

Apuli The Apuli or Biefi were a Dacian tribe centered at the Dacian town ''Apulon'' (Latin '' Apulum'') near what is now Alba Iulia in Transylvania, Romania. ''Apuli'' has clear resemblance to Apulia, the ancient southeastern Italy region, which is b ...

tribe. It was first mentioned by the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

geographer

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 ...

in his

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 ...

, under the name Apulon. It 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 ...

'' as an important city named Apula, at the cross road of two main routes: one coming from

Blandiana Blandiana (german: Stumpach; hu, Maroskarna) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 1,187 and is composed of five villages: Acmariu (''Akmár''), Blandiana, Ibru, Poieni and Răcătău (''Rakató''). ...

, the other from

Acidava Acidava (''Acidaua'') was a Dacian and later Roman fortress on the Olt river near the lower Danube. The settlements remains are located in today's Enoşeşti, Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. History After the Roman conquest of Dacia by Roman Em ...

. The two roads merge at Apula, with the next stop on the route being

Brucla Aiud (; la, Brucla, hu, Nagyenyed, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Straßburg am Mieresch) is a city located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. The city's population is 22,876. It has the status of municipality and is the 2nd-largest c ...

. After the southern part of

became a province of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, the capital of the

Dacia Apulensis Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today ...

district was established here, and the city was known as Apulum.Apulum @Livius.orgl
/ref> Apulum was one of the largest centers in

Roman Dacia Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today ...

and the seat of the XIII Gemina

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

. The castra at Apulum is the largest in Romania, occupying 37,5 ha (750 x 500 m²).

Gallery

File:Piatra_Craivii_03.jpg, View from Măgulici Hill, Ighiu File:Piatra_Craivii_10.jpg, View from Craiva's valley File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Wall from Piatra Craivii Dacian Fortress-2.JPG,

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

from Piatra Craivii Dacian Fortress in display at the National Museum of the Union,

File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Wall from Piatra Craivii Dacian Fortress-3.JPG, Wall from Piatra Craivii

Dacian Fortress The history of Dacian warfare spans from c. 10th century BC up to the 2nd century AD in the region defined by Ancient Greek and Latin historians as Dacia, populated by a collection of Thracian, Ionian, and Dorian tribes. It concerns the armed con ...

File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Import Pieces from Roman World found at Dacian Settlement of Piatra Craivii.JPG, Import items from the

Roman world The culture of ancient Rome existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which at its peak covered an area from present-day Lo ...

found at Dacian settlement of Piatra Craivii, File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Late Bronze Age Vessels and Bronze Objects.JPG, Late

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

vessels and bronze objects, from various locations in Alba County, including Piatra Craivii File:KMM - Dakien Piatra Craivii Ringe.jpg, Dacian bronze rings (1st century BC) found on site - on display in the

Roman Museum Manching 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 ...

Notes

External links

BUCKLE TYPES AND BELT FRAGMENTS FROM THE DACIANSETTLEMENT OF CRAIVA - „PIATRA CRAIVII” (ALBA COUNTY)
{{Dacian cities Dacian towns Roman Dacia Archaeological sites in Romania Ruins in Romania Former populated places in Romania Dacian fortresses in Alba County Historic monuments in Alba County Dacian fortresses Ancient history of Transylvania

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links