Arcobara
(previously identified as Arcobadara
[Cristian Găzdac, Corneliu Gaiu, Elena Marchiş: "Arcobadara (Ilişua)", Ed. Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2011]) was a
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in the
Roman province
The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
of
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 ...
in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.
It was unearthed in the village Ilişua (commune
Uriu,
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 ...
) in 1978.
The fort was edified by ''Ala I Tungrorum Frontoniana''.
On the site a significant number of
ballista
The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ta ...
projectiles were discovered: 27 stone projectiles having diameter between 7 and 13.5 cm and weigh up to 2 kg.
The artillery was used as defensive, probably located in the fort's towers.
These artifacts indicates the presence of
ballistarii
Ballistarius (plural ''ballistarii'') were infantrymen of the Roman army who handled ballistae. They were classed as immunes
The ''immunes'' were Ancient Roman soldiers who possessed specialized skills. They were exempt from the more tedious ...
in this fort.
See also
*
List of castra
Castra (Latin, singular castrum) were military forts of various sizes used by the Roman army throughout the Empire in various places of Europe, Asia and Africa.
The largest castra were permanent legionary fortresses.
Locations
The disposition ...
External links
Roman castra from Romania - Google MapsEarth
Notes
Roman legionary fortresses in Romania
Ancient history of Transylvania
Historic monuments in Bistrița-Năsăud County
{{Dacia-stub