Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Andrei-Cătălin Dîscă

Iulian Leonti

DRUMUL ROMAN IMPERIAL ÎNTRE TIBISCUM ȘI ULPIA TRAIANA SARMIZEGETUSA. CÂTEVA CONSIDERAȚII ȘI REZULTATELE UNOR CERCETĂRI DE TEREN

Jan. 22, 2024

Abstract

Part of the Roman imperial road in west Dacia which tied the Danube to the northern border of the province, the segment between Tibiscum and Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa secures passage from the Caransebeş and Haţeg Depressions, passing the Iron Gate of Transylvania (usually said to be the ancient Tapae). In the Roman Age this road was the most important highway for Dacia, connecting the main military, administrative and economic centers north of the Danube (such as Sarmizegetusa, Apulum, Napoca and Porolissum) and the southern ones (such as Sirmium, Singidunum and Viminacium). Presently, the situation with the segment between Tibiscum and Sarmizegetusa (as well as of a large part of the road network of Dacia) may be said to be paradoxical. Although the information found in Tabula Peutingeriana is, to a large degree, in agreement with the archaeological data, and the area where the road should be identified is rather well established, there are very few places where the road was precisely charted. To improve the state of research a series of fieldwalkings were carried out to gather additional data on the Roman imperial road between Tibiscum and Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. According to the Tabula Peutingeriana, the section between Tibiscum and Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa was made up of 3 segments of a total length of 37 Roman miles (54.75 km). The first segment between Tivisco and Agnavie was XIIII MP long (20.70 km), the second between Agnavie and Ponte Augusti VIII MP (11.82 km) long and the last between Ponte Augusti and Sarmategte XV MP (22.17 km) long. Fieldwalking focused on the Obreja vilagge to the west and Oţelul Roşu town to the east, this area belonging in all likelihood to the first segment mentioned in Tabula Peutingeriana between Tivisco and Agnavie. Three segments of a road laid on an embankment of clay and paved with sand, gravel and cobblestone were identified during these investigations. Field data shows that the materials were selected according to size. Data obtained from fieldwalking provided the premises to argue that the three segments of stone road identified between Obreja and Oţelul Roşu belong to the Roman imperial road from Tibiscum to Sarmizegetusa. In order to have more certainty excavations must be carried out to provide precise data in respect of the building technique and chronology of this structure.