Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa
Encyclopedia
Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa was the capital and the largest city of Roman Dacia
, later named Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa after the former Dacia
n capital, located some 40 km away. Built on the ground of a camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion
, the city was populated with veterans of the Dacian wars. It received from the very beginning the title of colonia
and the status of Ius Italicum
. With an area of 30 ha and a population between 20.000 - 25.000 and strong fortifications, Ulpia Traiana was the political, administrative and religious centre of Dacia Romana, in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The city was destroyed by the Goths
. Today Ulpia Traiana remains in ruins, with a partly conserved forum, an amphitheatre, and remnants of several temples.
In Rome, the settlement of the colony was marked by the minting of a coin, at the Senate's order, dedicated to emperor Trajan
.
During the reign of Hadrian
the city was renamed Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa. Between 222 - 235 the colony is called metropolis. The name was found on a stone inscription that reads "To Caius Arrius Quadratus, son of Gaius Arrius Antoninus, acting praetor of the emperor in colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa." Gaius Arrius Antoninus bore the title legatus pro praetore
, which was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire
.
, a pass between Banat
and Transylvania
(today known as The Iron Gates of Transylvania). The choice was based on the military and economic advantages given by the natural barrier represented by the Retezat Mountains in the South and Poiana Ruscă Mountains in the North. The territory of the metropolis laid from Tibiscum
to Micia and to the Jiu canyon, the city being protected by several castra
: Tibiscum, Voislova, Micia
şi Bumbeşti.
The city was crossed by the imperial road from Danube
that marked the linked between the North of the province and Porolissum
(Moigrad).
Roman Dacia
The Roman province of Dacia on the Balkans included the modern Romanian regions of Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia, and temporarily Muntenia and southern Moldova, but not the nearby regions of Moesia...
, later named Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa after the former Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
n capital, located some 40 km away. Built on the ground of a camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion
Legio V Macedonica
Legio quinta Macedonica was a Roman legion. It was probably originally levied by consul Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus and Octavian in 43 BC, and it was stationed in Moesia at least until 5th century. Its symbol was the bull, but the eagle was used as well...
, the city was populated with veterans of the Dacian wars. It received from the very beginning the title of colonia
Colonia (Roman)
A Roman colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city.-History:...
and the status of Ius Italicum
Ius Italicum
Ius Italicum was an honour conferred on particular cities of the Roman Empire by the emperors. It did not describe any status of citizenship, but granted to communities outside Italy the legal fiction that it was on Italian soil...
. With an area of 30 ha and a population between 20.000 - 25.000 and strong fortifications, Ulpia Traiana was the political, administrative and religious centre of Dacia Romana, in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The city was destroyed by the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
. Today Ulpia Traiana remains in ruins, with a partly conserved forum, an amphitheatre, and remnants of several temples.
History
The exact period when the city was built is not known. Some say the first settlement was erected between 106-107, other say it was between 108-110. However, due to an inscription discovered at the beginning of the 14th century in the village of Gradiste, it is known that the settlement of the new town was done in the first years after the conquest of Dacia. The inscription reads: "On the command of the emperor Cesar Nerva Traianus Augustus, son of the divine Nerva, was settled the Dacian Colony by Decimus Terentius Scaurianus, its governor."In Rome, the settlement of the colony was marked by the minting of a coin, at the Senate's order, dedicated to emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
.
During the reign of Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
the city was renamed Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa. Between 222 - 235 the colony is called metropolis. The name was found on a stone inscription that reads "To Caius Arrius Quadratus, son of Gaius Arrius Antoninus, acting praetor of the emperor in colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa." Gaius Arrius Antoninus bore the title legatus pro praetore
Legatus Augusti pro praetore
A legatus Augusti pro praetore was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones or those where legions were based...
, which was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Location
The settlement was built at a distance of 8 km from TapaeTapae
Tapae was a Dacian outpost, guarding Sarmisegetuza, their main political centre. Its location was on the Iron Gates of Translylvania, a natural passage breaking between Ţarcului and Poiana Ruscă Mountains and connecting Banat to Ţara Haţegului. This made it one of the very few point through which...
, a pass between Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
(today known as The Iron Gates of Transylvania). The choice was based on the military and economic advantages given by the natural barrier represented by the Retezat Mountains in the South and Poiana Ruscă Mountains in the North. The territory of the metropolis laid from Tibiscum
Tibiscum
Tibiscum was a Dacian town mentioned by Ptolemy, later a Roman castra and municipium. The ruins of the ancient settlement are located in Jupa, Caraş-Severin County, Romania.- See also :* Dacian davae...
to Micia and to the Jiu canyon, the city being protected by several castra
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
: Tibiscum, Voislova, Micia
Micia (castra)
Micia was a large Roman fort for auxiliary troops and a important part of the western Dacian limes . The archaeological site is located...
şi Bumbeşti.
The city was crossed by the imperial road from Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
that marked the linked between the North of the province and Porolissum
Porolissum
Porolissum was an ancient Roman city in Dacia. Established as a military camp in 106 during Trajan's Dacian Wars, the city quickly grew through trade with the native Dacians and became the capital of the province Dacia Porolissensis in 124. The site is one of the largest and best-preserved...
(Moigrad).
Archeological Site
Today, the archeological site contains:- Amphitheatre
- Gladiator School
- Goddess Nemesis Temple
- Liber Pater Temple
- Gods Aesculap and Hygia Temple
- Temple Basilica
- Big Temple
- God Silvanus Temple
- Glass Blowers Workshops
- Horreum
- Financial procurator's Office
- Thermae
- Forum