The castra of Bulci was a fort in the Roman province of Dacia located on the western side of defensive line of forts, limes Daciae.[1][2] Its ruins are located in Bulci (commune Bata, Romania).[1]

Castra of Bulci
Castra of Bulci is located in Romania
Castra of Bulci
Location within Romania
Known also asCastra of Bata
Founded2nd century AD[1][2]
Abandoned4th century AD[1][2]
Place in the Roman world
ProvinceDacia
Administrative unitDacia Apulensis
Administrative unitDacia Superior
Nearby waterMarisus
Directly connected to(Lipova)
Structure
— Wood and earth structure —
Stationed military units
Legions
vexill. XIII Gemina[citation needed]
Location
Coordinates46°00′42″N 22°07′14″E / 46.011608°N 22.120492°E / 46.011608; 22.120492
Altitude145 m (476 ft)
Place nameLa cetate
TownBulci
CountyArad
Country Romania
Reference
RO-LMIAR-I-m-A-00428.03[2]
RO-RAN9912.01[1]
Site notes
Recognition National Historical Monument
ConditionRuined
Excavation dates
  • 1868
  • 1976 - 1980
Archaeologists
ExhibitionsMuzeul de Arheologie și Istorie, Arad
Western Dacia forts

Location and function

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The region in Arad county has been inhabited with short interruptions since the Neolithic. During the first half of the 1st millennium BC, the Dacians founded their first branches on both sides of Marisus. From the 6th century BC onwards, the Scythians, among others, settled here and later merged into the Dacians. At the end of the 4th century BC Celtic tribes also began to migrate here but they were also quickly assimilated by the Dacians.

The fort, possibly occupied by an auxiliary cohort, lay east of today's village of Bata on the left bank of the Mureș. The site is also known by its field names "Cetate" (castle) or "Mănăstire" (monastery). Its garrison was responsible, among other things, for monitoring and securing the road from Micia to Partiscum, which followed the southern bank of the river in the North-West direction.

The fort

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The fort area has only been insufficiently researched. It was first examined in 1868 by Flóris Rómer, the founder of provincial Roman archaeology in Hungary, and then between 1976 and 1980 smaller search excavations were carried out by István Ferenczi and Mircea Barbu. The defence consisted of a wooden-earth wall with a ditch in front of it as an obstacle to approach. Only small traces of the internal buildings could be found. The brick stamps found in Legio XIII Gemina seem to at least confirm the identification of the site as a Roman military installation of the 2nd century AD. The fortification was probably built by a vexillation of this legion. No remains of the fort itself can be seen in the area today.

The finds from the excavations can be found today in the Museum complex Arad, Department of Archaeology and History (Romanian "Complexul muzeal Arad, Secția Arheologie și Istorie").

Monument protection

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The entire archaeological site, and in particular the fort, are protected as historical monuments.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e "9912.01". National Archaeological Record of Romania (RAN). ran.cimec.ro. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010 ("2010 List of Historic Monuments")" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, Nr. 670 ("Romania's Official Journal, Part I, Nr. 670"), page 141. Ministerul Culturii şi Patrimoniului Naţional. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.