Sucidava (Sykibid, Skedevà after Procopius of Caesarea,Olga Karagiorgou Σucidava after Vasile Pârvan, where Σ is pronounced "sh") 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 ro ...

n and

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 scho ...

city situated in Corabia,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, on the north bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. It developed from the 270s AD and especially after the construction of Constantine's Bridge the northern side of which it protected.

History

It was a significant economic and military centre of the Dacian Suci tribe. The Roman

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, one of the largest Roman forts in

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

, was built over the former Dacian citadel in the 270s at the time of Roman withdrawal from

to protect the Roman pontoon bridge and road there. The defensive walls with eight towers of the late Roman town of Sucidava can still be seen.

Constantine's Bridge (Danube) Constantine's Bridge (, , ''Konstantinov most''; ) was a Roman bridge over the Danube used to reconquer Dacia. It was completed in 328 AD and remained in use for four decades. It was officially opened on 5 July 328 AD in the presence of empe ...

was built nearby over the Danube in 328 in order to start his reconquest of Dacia. Sucidava had its own defensive walls protecting the city and the bridge. The bridge connected to the Oescus fort in Bulgaria which protected its southern end. The city developed around the fort. The archaeological evidence shows that in 443–447 the city and the fort were sacked by the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

, and were restored under Justin I 518–527 or

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

527–565.Roman Fortress Sucidava https://danubelimes-robg.eu/index.php/en/37en Around 600, it seems that the Roman garrison abandoned the city. The first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

established in Romania can be found there. There is also a secret underground fountain which flows under the walls of the town to a water spring situated outside. The coins found at Sucidava show an uninterrupted series from

Aurelian Aurelian (; ; 9 September ) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 270 to 275 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had nearly disinte ...

(270–275) to

Theodosius II Theodosius II ( ; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), called "the Calligraphy, Calligrapher", was Roman emperor from 402 to 450. He was proclaimed ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' as an infant and ruled as the Eastern Empire's sole emperor after the ...

(408–450).

References

Additional References

* Paul Lachlan MacKendrick, "The Dacian Stones Speak", Chapel Hill:

University of North Carolina Press The University of North Carolina Press (or UNC Press), founded in 1922, is a not-for-profit university press associated with the University of North Carolina. It was the first university press founded in the southern United States. It is a mem ...

, 1975. * Notitia Dignitatum cca 395-413

External links

* Sucidava on

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...

: http://www.euratlas.net/cartogra/peutinger/7_thracia/thracia_4_1.html *
"Archaeological Excavation Report"

* Gabriel Vasile

Cercetări Arheologice, 13/2006, at National Museum of Romanian History * http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/als/_sucidava_romania_eu_expansion.html
Roman castra from Romania - Google Maps

Earth
{{Dacian cities Dacian fortresses in Olt County Former populated places in Eastern Europe Roman Dacia Roman sites in Romania Corabia Historic monuments in Olt County Roman auxiliary forts in Romania

History

See also

References

Additional References

External links