The Roman
castra Arutela is a historical monument, situated between
Paușa and
Căciulata, near the town
Călimănești
Călimănești, often known as Călimănești-Căciulata, is a town in Vâlcea County, southern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Oltenia and the northern part of the county, on the traditional route connecting the region to Tr ...
. It is estimated to have been constructed between 137 – 138 A.D. The building lies on the left bank of the
Olt River
The Olt (Romanian and Hungarian; german: Alt; la, Aluta or ', tr, Oltu, grc, Ἄλυτος ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average discha ...
, nearby the
Cozia Monastery and the Turnu hydropower complex.
The dating of the construction was done based on inscriptions discovered in two samples of the front of two of the castra's gates. These samples suggest that the castra was constructed in the time of
Hadrian by a detachment of Syrian archers in 138, under the orders of
Titus Flavius Constans, military governor of
Dacia Inferior
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 ...
. The last coins discovered and dated at Arutela were issued between the years 220 – 223 A.D. Arutela also hosted a Dacian settlement, which enjoyed a prolonged existence under Roman rule.
Ancient sources
Ptolemy's Geographia
Tabula Peutingeriana
Etymology
History
Dacian town
Roman times
Archaeology
The first excavations at "Poiana Bivolari" were made in 1888–1889 in order to capture sulfurous thermal water. The excavation uncovered metal objects and Roman coins of
Hadrian,
Septimius Severus
Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
,
Iulia Doamna and
Caracalla
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...
. Between 1890 and 1892,
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 ...
and
Pamfil Polonic
Pamfil Polonic (27 August 1858 – 17 April 1943) was a Romanian archaeologist and topographer
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves ...
continued with partial excavations, completely uncovering Roman baths and partial ruins of the castra. These discoveries remain the only epigraphic materials found on the site. Between 1897 and 1902, the Arutela ruins were partially covered by the construction of a railroad between
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea (also spelled ''Rîmnicu Vîlcea'' or, in the past, ''Rîmnic-Vâlcea'', ) (population: 92,573 as per the 2011 Romanian census) is the county capital ( ro, Reședință de județ) and also the largest town of Vâlcea County, centr ...
and
Râul Vadului, while the baths disappeared completely.
In 1967, the
National Military Museum reopened the research site until 1970, and opened it once more in 1978. The opening led to the complete exposure of the ruins which were not destroyed by the railroad construction.
The archaeological excavations uncovered weapons, coins, pots and inscriptions, on display today at the Bucharest
National Military Museum. After the excavations finished, the Arutela castrum became a historical monument of the Vâlcea County Committee of Culture and the Museum of History in
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea (also spelled ''Rîmnicu Vîlcea'' or, in the past, ''Rîmnic-Vâlcea'', ) (population: 92,573 as per the 2011 Romanian census) is the county capital ( ro, Reședință de județ) and also the largest town of Vâlcea County, centr ...
. In 1982–1983, the castrum was renewed in a project by the architect Aurel Teodorescu, following references prepared by Cristian Vlădescu, the coordinator of research previously performed by the Military Museum. The construction work was executed by C. Panco. The first "Praetorian gate" (''porta praetoria'') in Romania was reconstructed on the site.
See also
*
Dacian davae
*
List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia
This is a list of ancient cities, towns, villages, and fortresses in and around Thrace and Dacia. A number of these settlements were Dacian and Thracian, but some were Celtic, Greek, Roman, Paeonian, or Persian.
A number of cities in Dacia ...
*
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 ...
*
Roman Dacia
Notes
References
Ancient
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Modern
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{{coord, 45.276667, 24.311944, display=title, type:landmark_region:RO-VL
Dacian towns
Archaeological sites in Romania
Ruins in Romania
Roman legionary fortresses in Romania
History of Oltenia