Situated at the top of a steep hill, the Dacian fortress of Căpâlna was built in the second half of the 1st century BC as a military defense, guarding the entrance from the Sebeș Valley to the capital of the

Dacian kingdom 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 ...

Sarmizegetusa Regia Sarmizegetusa Regia (also known as ''Sarmisegetusa'', ''Sarmisegethusa'', ''Sarmisegethuza''; ) was the capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the Dacians before the wars with the Roman Empire. Built on top ...

. It is supposed that the fortress was the residence of a Dacian chieftain. Archeological findings include ceramics, iron and bronze tools, silver and bronze jewellery and

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

coins from the Republican and Imperial periods. Around 2002 - 2003 a gold necklace and two gold earrings were discovered here.Să ne amintim istoria: Cetatea dacică de la Căpâlna, de Dorin Ţimonea
/ref> The fortress was witness to Dacian - Roman battles during Trajan's Dacian Wars. In the first war, the fort was occupied by the Romans. Ultimately, it was burnt and destroyed by the Romans around 106 AD. The fortress is encircled by an elliptical wall (c. 270 m long). The wall was partially destroyed during the first war, and was hastily rebuilt just before the second war. Inside two terraces were found. On the higher level terrace, at the highest point, an observatory tower existed. A

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

(9.5 m x 9.5 m) was positioned strategically near the main fortified gate. A second gate positioned through the Sebeș Valley was blocked after the first war, sometime after 102 AD. The fort follows the architectural principles of the

Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains Dacian may refer to: Relating to "Dacia" * of or relating to Dacia in southeastern Europe ** Dacians, the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia ** Dacian language Dacian () is an extinct language generally believe ...

; the wall being the typical murus Dacicus. Outside the fortification three defensive ditches were found. During excavations from 1982 - 1983, Dacian sanctuary ruins were found. The site was listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 1999.

Tourism

Near the bridge from Căpâlna, a sign indicates the road to the fortress. The site can be reached by walking around 2 kilometres on a steep gravel road starting from the main road (

DN67C Public roads in Romania are ranked according to importance and traffic as follows: *motorways (autostradă – pl. autostrăzi) – colour: green; designation: A followed by one or two digits *expressways (drum – pl. drumuri express) – col ...

) situated at the bottom of valley.

Gallery

Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 062.jpg, View from the base, near the river Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 084.jpg, Stone block of dwelling tower Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 021.jpg, South-west side of the fortress Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 040.jpg, Landscape to the south-east Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 077.jpg, Murus Dacicus stone block Image:Dacian Fortress of Capalna 052.jpg, Near the main gate

References

* Ioan Glodariu, Vasile Moga. ''Cetatea dacică de la Căpâlna, Alba Iulia, 2006.''

External links

Cetățile dacice din Munții Orăștiei - Căpâlna

Virtual reconstruction of the fortress

Repertoriul Arheologic Naţional (RAN)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dacian fortress of Capalna Capalna Dacian fortresses in Hunedoara County Tourist attractions in Hunedoara County Historic monuments in Hunedoara County Ancient history of Transylvania