Romana Dacian Fortress


  

LUNCANI - PIATRA ROSIE    (comuna Bosorod)

     “Piatra Rosie” is the name of the reddish limestone rock height where the Dacian fortress is placed. (821m above sea level).
     The fortress, a real “nest of vultures” is surrounded, by three sides, by steep precipices and it was meant to stop the access to Sarmizegetusa through the settlement situated the crossroads to be used in case of war as these roads came either from North –West from Valea Muresului or Valea Streiului or from South to the area leading to the North and North-East , passing over Ponor, Federi, Ponorici and Cioclovina.
     The access to the fortress is available from two directions: one from the Valea Stangului spring from the North –West and from East, along the crest connecting Piatra Rosie and the surrounding heights.
     Whichever the route, before entering the woods, on the East side of the hill, the path almost halves one of the five terraces of the fortification and namely the lower one, where there is also one of the isolated towers. Going North, the path widens and follows the old Dacian route.
     Once reaching the upper plateau arranged by the man, we notice its irregular, ellipsoid shape with North –South orientation and it is about 160m long, 40-50m wide.
     Walking along the whole route, it is noticed that the fortress included two yards strongly fortified with limestone block walls and worked using the murus dacicus technique.
     The first yard occupies about half of the plateau length and constitute a quadrilateral with 102x45m sizes. The yard surrounding wall comprises five inside towers. The access is available through the tower II of the North-East corner that could be reached by the over 3m wide road paved with limestone slabs. At the entry, there was a 2.50m wide limestone stair bordered by balustrades made of the same material. On the West side of the yard, the wall, at about 56 m from tower I, from the North –West corner, and to the South, it forms an outside right angle of about 2m and then it follows its route.
     Inside this yard , at its South half, the investigations revealed a wood building with stone foundation and North –South orientation (40x28m). The construction layout consists of a quadrilateral building with two rooms surrounded by a porch on three sides, and a slight apsis there was found at its North side. Several meters to the North from the North –Wwest corner of the yard there were found some limestone plinths with a t60m diameter disposed on 2 rows with a bout 2m spacing which belonged to a quadrilateral type sanctuary. Continuing the plateau, to the North and East from the sanctuary, there were identified two other buildings of rectangular shape. The first includes five rooms and the second one, includes 4 rooms made of wood and placed on stone foundation.
     The second yard, which is much bigger (140x125m) occupies the terraces of the East side of the fortress hill, along the North-South direction. The yard enclosed by a dry wall made of stone and earth, looks like a wave shaped height with three sides and a palisade in front of it . At the South –East and North East corners of the wall there is a tower. This yard is crossed by the paved road from East to West and which is situated at the entry to the first yard through tower II, but which just a little bit ahead of it, turns to the North up to the construction with apsis and consisting of two rooms (7.50x7.80m and 7.80 x 3.20m). placed on the first terrace beneath the plateau.
     The archaeological findings from the fortress consist of tools, weapons, iron construction materials, pots and bronze items, ceramics. Among the significant items found at Piatra Rosie fortress there is a three branch bronze lamp found in a natural hole of the terrace II and III , the bronze bust of a feminine divinity found in the North –East tower of the big yard as well as an iron parade “ shield “ decorated with geometric, vegetal and animal models found in the apsis room of the big yard.










Overview
Overview
Paved road
Paved road
Construction of the apse
Construction of the apse