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Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ruins of sanctuaries and solar disk at Sarmizegetusa Regia, Romania
Location	Romania
Includes	Sarmizegetusa, Costești-Cetățuie, Costești-Blidaru, Luncani-Piatra Roșie, Bănița and Căpâlna
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii, iv
Reference	906
Inscription	1999 (23rd Session)
Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains (Romania)

Built in murus dacicus style, the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains (Romanian: Cetăți dacice din Munții Orăștiei), 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 extensive and well-preserved remains present a picture of a vigorous and innovative ancient civilization. Today, treasure-hunters sometimes search the area, as Romania lacks legislation in this domain (see Archaeological looting in Romania).

The six fortresses — Sarmizegetusa Regia, Costești-Cetățuie, Costești-Blidaru, Piatra Roșie, Bănița, and Căpâlna — that formed the defensive system of Decebalus were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. All the sites are in Hunedoara County, except for Căpâlna, which is in Alba County.

Sarmizegetusa Regia

The town of Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital and major fortress of the Dacian kingdom, probably built in the mid first century BCE. It consisted of perimeter walls and fortifications, a sacred precinct, and a settlement area primarily for nobles and supporting servants. It was located at the top of a 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) hill with excellent visibility of the surrounding lands. The sacred precinct was on the east side of the town, with a prominent plaza and circular shrines. There were two settlement areas one on the east side and a larger one on the west. In addition to dwellings they included workshops, storage buildings, and agricultural processing areas. Notable for the time is a distribution system for drinking water that used ceramic pipes.

Costești-Cetățuie

Costești-Blidaru

Piatra Roșie

Piatra Roșie, which means Red Rock, was a Dacian hill fort two days march to the west from Costești-Cetățuie, at Luncani in Boșorod commune. It was built in two phases. In the first phase a long (102 m) rectangular main citadel was built at the height of land with watch towers on each end and two outlying watch towers. Later the larger area inside the watch towers was enclosed with walls. It appears that the hilltop was flattened in the process in order to produce a usable space.

Gallery

• Dacian fortress of Costești
• Fortress of Blidaru
• Fortress of Blidaru
• Sanctuaries at Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Andesite sanctuaries, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Sarmizegetusa Regia the great circular sanctuary (sacred area)
• Large limestone sanctuary, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Small limestone sanctuary, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Solar disc, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Murus dacicus, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Paved Dacian road, Sarmizegetusa Regia
• Dacian artifact from Piatra Roșie site. It is still a subject of debate if it is an umbo shield or a gate decoration.

See also

• Burebista
• List of Dacian towns
• Murus dacicus
• Sarmizegetusa Regia
• List of World Heritage Sites in Romania
• Seven Wonders of Romania
• List of kings of Thrace and Dacia

Notes

1. Mallows, Lucy (2008) Transylvania Bradt Travel Guides, Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, United Kingdom, page 219, ISBN 978-1-84162-230-9
2. Aerial photograph shows hill at Luncani. Oltean, Ioana Adina (2007) Dacia: landscape, colonisation and romanisation Psychology Press, London, page 81, ISBN 0-415-41252-8
3. MacKendrick, Paul Lachlan (1975) The Dacian Stones Speak University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pages 58–60, ISBN 0-8078-1226-9
4. Oltean, Ioana Adina (2007) Dacia: landscape, colonisation and romanisation Psychology Press, London, page 95, ISBN 0-415-41252-8

Further reading

• UNESCO

External links

• UNESCO: The Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains
• Regional portal with locations and information related to the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains
• Virtual 3D reconstruction of the Dacian fortresses

• Archaeological sites in Romania
• World Heritage Sites in Romania
• Dacian fortresses in Hunedoara County
• Dacian fortresses in Alba County
• Dacian fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains
• Buildings and structures in Hunedoara County
• Buildings and structures in Alba County
• Ancient history of Transylvania