Sarmizegetusa Regia, also Sarmisegetusa, Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza, Ζαρμιζεγεθούσα (''Zarmizegethoúsa'') or Ζερμιζεγεθούση (''Zermizegethoúsē''), was the
capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the
Dacians before the
wars with the Roman Empire. Erected on top of a 1200 m high mountain, the fortress, comprising six citadels, was the core of a strategic defensive system in the
Orăștie Mountains (in present-day
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
).
Sarmizegetusa Regia should not be confused with
Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the Roman capital of Dacia built by Roman Emperor
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 ...
some 40 km away, which was not the Dacian capital. Sarmizegetusa Ulpia was discovered earlier, was known already in the early 1900s, and was initially mistaken for the Dacian capital, a confusion which led to incorrect conclusions being made regarding the military history and organization of the Dacians.
Etymology
Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain the origin of the name ''Sarmizegetusa''. The most important of these ascribe the following possible meanings to the city's name:
* ‘Citadel built of palisades on a mountain peak’ from ''zermi'' (*gher-mi ‘mountain peak, top’, cf. *gher ‘stone; high’) and ''zeget'' (*geg(H)t)
* ‘City of the warm river’ from ''zarmi'' ‘warm’ (cognate with Sanskrit ''gharma'' ‘warm’) and ''zeget'' ‘flow’ (cognate with Sanskrit ''sarj-'' in ''sarjana-'' ‘flow’ and
Bactrian ''harez-'' in ''harezâna'' ‘id.’), the city being named after the nearby river Sargetia
* ‘Palace illuminating the world of life’ from ''zaryma'' ‘palace’ (cf. Sanskrit ''harmya'' ‘palace’), ''zegeth'' ‘world of life’ (cf. Sanskrit ''jagat''- ‘go’, and ''jigat''- ‘mobility; world of life’) and ''usa'' ‘illuminating, enlightening; burning’)
Layout
Sarmizegetusa Regia contained a citadel and residential areas with dwellings and workshops as well as a sacred zone.
* The fortress, a
quadrilateral
In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...
formed by massive stone blocks (
murus dacicus), was constructed on five terraces, on an area of almost 30,000 m².
* The sacred zone — among the most important and largest circular and rectangular Dacian sanctuaries – includes a number of rectangular temples, the bases of their supporting columns still visible in regular arrays. Perhaps the most enigmatic construction at the site is the large circular sanctuary. It consisted of a setting of timber posts in the shape of a D, surrounded by a timber circle which in turn was surrounded by a low stone kerb. The layout of the timber settings bears some resemblance to the stone monument at
Stonehenge in England.
* An artifact referred to as the “Andesite Sun" seems to have been used as a sundial. Since it is known that Dacian culture was influenced by contact with Hellenisitic Greece, the sundial may have resulted from the Dacians' exposure to Hellenistic learning in geometry and astronomy.
* Civilians lived below the citadel itself in settlements built on artificial terraces, such as the one at
Feţele Albe. A system of ceramic pipes channeled running water into the residences of the nobility.
The archaeological inventory found at the site demonstrates that Dacian society had a relatively high standard of living.
History
Variants of the name of the city
Historical records show considerable variation in the spelling of the name of the Dacian capital:
* Zarmigethusa, Sarmisegethusa (
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 importance ...
, Geography, 2nd century AD)
* Zermizegethusa (
Dio Cassius 2nd-3rd century)
* Sarmazege (
Anonymous Geographer from Ravenna, around 700 AD)
* Sarmategte (
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (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 map is a 13th-ce ...
, 13th century)
* Zarmizegetusa and Sarmizegetusa (from inscriptions)
* Sargetia (name of the river nearby)
Pre-Roman era
Towards the end of his reign,
Burebista
Burebista ( grc, Βυρεβίστας, Βοιρεβίστας) was the king of the Getae and Dacian tribes from 82/61BC to 45/44BC. He was the first king who successfully unified the tribes of the Dacian kingdom, which comprised the area loca ...
transferred the Geto-Dacian capital from
Argedava to Sarmizegetusa. Serving as the Dacian capital for at least one and a half centuries, Sarmizegethusa reached its zenith under
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Decebal. Archeological findings suggest that the Dacian god
Zalmoxis and his chief priest had an important role in Dacian society at this time. They have also shed new light on the political, economic and scientific development of the Dacians and their successful assimilation of technical and scientific knowledge from the Greek and Romans.
The site has yielded two especially notable finds:
* A medical kit, in a brassbound wooden box with an iron handle, containing a scalpel, tweezers, powdered pumice and miniature pots for pharmaceuticals
* A huge vase, 24 in (0.6 m) high and 41 in (1.04 m) across, bearing an inscription in the Roman alphabet: DECEBAL PER SCORILO, i.e. ‘Decebalus, son (cf. Latin ''puer'') of Scorilus’
The smithies north of the sanctuary also provide evidence of the Dacians' skill in metalworking: findings include tools such as metre-long tongs, hammers and anvils which were used to make some 400 metallic artefacts — scythes, sickles, hoes, rakes, picks, pruning hooks, knives, plowshares, and carpenters' tools — as well as weapons such as daggers, curved Dacian scimitars, spearpoints, and shields.
Nevertheless, the flowering of Dacian civilization apparently underway during the reign of Decebalus came to an abrupt end when Trajan's legions destroyed the city and deported its population.
The defensive system
The Dacian capital’s defensive system includes
six Dacian fortresses — Sarmizegetusa,
Costești-Blidaru,
Piatra Roșie,
Costești-Cetățuie,
Căpâlna and
Bănița.
All six have been named
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
sites.
Roman era
Sarmizegetusa's walls were partly dismantled at the end of First Dacian war in AD 102, when Dacia was invaded by the Emperor
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 ...
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 Mediter ...
and rebuilt as Roman fortifications. The latter were subsequently destroyed possibly by the Dacians and then rebuilt again following the successful siege of the site in AD 105–6.
The Roman conquerors established a military garrison at Sarmizegetusa Regia. Later, the capital of
Roman Dacia was established 40 km from the ruined Dacian capital, and was named after it -
Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa.
Gallery
File:Sarmizegetusa_Regia_-_Sanctuarul_mare_circular._(Zona_sacra).jpg, Sarmizegetusa Regia ''the great circular sanctuary (sacred area)''
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia.JPG, Sanctuaries
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
File:Sanctuarele de andezit.JPG, Andesite
Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...
sanctuaries
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia 2011 2.jpg
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia 2011 1.jpg, Large limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
File:Sanctuarul mare de calcar.JPG, Large limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
File:Sanctuarul mic de calcar.JPG, Small limestone sanctuary
File:Solar disc.JPG, Solar disk
File:Murus Dacicus.JPG, Murus dacicus
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia Wall 1.jpg
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia Wall 2.jpg
File:Paved Dacian road.JPG, Paved Dacian road
File:Sarmizegetusa Regia - panoramă.jpg, Panoramic view of the sanctuaries
File:Dacian Water Pipe.JPG, Dacian Water Pipe
See also
*
Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa
*
List of Dacian towns
*
Decebalus
Decebalus (), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a Roman invas ...
*
Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains
Built in murus dacicus style, the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains (), in Romania, were created in the 1st centuries BC and AD as protection against Roman conquest, and played an important role during the Roman-Dacian wars.
Their ...
*
Seven Wonders of Romania
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
* .
*
*
External links
Cetățile dacice din Munții Orăștiei - Sarmizegetusa RegiaVirtual 3D Reconstruction of Sarmizegetusa Regia„Large circular sanctuary" from Sarmizegetusa Regia 3D reconstruction (v.1)
3D Reconstruction of Sarmizegetusa from Documentary "Decoding Dacia" by Kogainon Films*
''Plans, surveys''
„Plan TOPO 2D" 2D topographical plan of the archaeological site of Sarmizegetusa Regia (v.1), ''source files .DWG, .PDF''
„Plan TOPO 3D" 3D topographical plan of the archaeological site of Sarmizegetusa Regia (v.2), ''source files .DWG, .PDF''
''3D reconstructions''
"Paved road" from Sarmizegetusa Regia 3D reconstruction (v.1)
"Great Round Temple" from Sarmizegetusa Regia 3D reconstruction (v.2), "Large circular sanctuary" from Sacred Area
{{authority control
Archaeological sites in Romania
Dacian towns
Former populated places in Eastern Europe
Dacian fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains
Dacian fortresses in Hunedoara County
Historic monuments in Hunedoara County
Tourist attractions in Hunedoara County
Ancient history of Transylvania