Potaissa was a

castra In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

in the Roman province 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 ...

, located in today's

Turda Turda (; hu, Torda, ; german: link=no, Thorenburg; la, Potaissa) is a city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the Europe ...

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 ...

History

The

ns established a town that

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 ''Geography'' calls ''Patreuissa'', which is probably a corruption of ''Patavissa'' or ''Potaissa'', the latter being more common. It was conquered by the

Romans 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 lette ...

, who kept the name ''Potaissa'', between AD 101 and 106, during the rule of

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 ...

, together with parts of Decebal's

. The name Potaissa is first recorded on a Roman

milliarium A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

discovered in 1758 in the nearby Aiton commune.Lazarovici ''et al.'' 1997, pp. 202–3 (6.2 Cluj in the Old and Ancient Epochs) 2006 0602TurdaPotaissaRomanBath0110

Milliarium of Aiton Milliarium of Aiton is an ancient Roman milestone (milliarium) discovered in the 1758 in Aiton commune, near Cluj-Napoca, Romania.Lazarovici ''et al.'' 1997, pp. 202–3 (6.2 Cluj in the Old and Ancient Epochs) Dating from 108 AD, shortly after ...

is an ancient Roman milestone dating from 108 AD, shortly after the

Roman conquest of Dacia The Dacian Wars (101–102, 105–106) were two military campaigns fought between the Roman Empire and Dacia during Emperor Trajan's rule. The conflicts were triggered by the constant Dacian threat on the Danubian province of Moesia and also by ...

, and showing the construction of the road from Potaissa to Napoca, by demand of the Emperor Trajan. It indicates the distance of (P.M.X.) to Potaissa. This is the first

epigraphical Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

attestation of the settlements of Potaissa and Napoca 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 ...

. The complete inscription is: "''Imp(erator)/ Caesar Nerva/ Traianus Aug(ustus)/ Germ(anicus) Dacicus/ pontif(ex) maxim(us)/ ''(sic)'' pot(estate) XII co(n)s(ul) V/ imp(erator) VI p(ater) p(atriae) fecit/ per coh(ortem) I Fl(aviam) Vlp(iam)/ Hisp(anam) mil(liariam) c(ivium) R(omanorum) eq(uitatam)/ a Potaissa Napo/cam / m(ilia) p(assuum) X''". It was recorded in the ''

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

'', vol. III, the 1627, Berlin, 1863. This milliarium is an attestation of the road known to be built by ''

Cohors I Hispanorum miliaria Cohors rimaFlavia Ulpia Hispanorum milliaria equitata civium Romanorum (" stpart-mounted 1000 strong Flavian and Ulpian cohort of Roman citizens Hispani") was a Roman auxiliary regiment containing cavalry contingents. The cohort stationed in Daci ...

''.ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPERTORY OF ROMANIA. Archive Of The ''Vasile Parvan'' Institute Of Archaeology – Site Location Inde

/ref> The

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 ...

established was named ''Potaissa'' too and became a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...

, then a colonia. Potaissa was the basecamp of the Legio V ''Macedonica'' from 166 to 274. The Potaissa salt mines were worked in the area since prehistoric times. Image:2006 0602TurdaPotaissaBath0109.jpg, Thermae Image:2006 0602TurdaCastrulRoman0089.jpg Image:DSC08004 24.05.2010.JPG

Notes

External links

*{{commons category-inline
Roman castra from Romania - Google Maps

Earth
Roman legionary fortresses in Romania Ancient history of Transylvania Historic monuments in Cluj County Turda

History

See also

Notes

External links