Corvin Castle

Corvin Castle, also known as Corvins' Castle, Hunyad Castle or Hunedoara Castle (Romanian: Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor, Hungarian: Vajdahunyad vra), is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara (Transylvania), Romania.
Contents
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1 History 2 Description 3 Legends 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

History
Corvin Castle was laid out in 1446, when construction began at the orders of John Hunyadi (Romanian: Iancu or Ioan de Hunedoara,Hungarian: Hunyadi Jnos) who wanted to transform the former keep built by Charles I of Hungary. The castle was originally given to John Hunyadi's father, Voyk, by Sigismund, king of Hungary, as severance in 1409.[1] It was also in 1446 when John Hunyadi was elected as the regent-governor of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Diet. It was built mainly in Gothic style, but has Renaissance architectural elements. It features tall and strong defence towers, an interior yard and a drawbridge. Built over the site of an older fortification and on a rock above the small river Zlati, the castle is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely coloured roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings. The first step was building a double wall for fortification purposes. The walls were flanked by rectangular or circular towers, an architectural innovation to the period's Transylvanian architecture. Some of the towers (the Capistrano Tower, the Deserted Tower and the Drummers' Tower) were used as a prison. The Buzdugan Tower (name after a type of weapon)was solely built for defence purposes and it had its exterior decorated with geometric motifs. The rectangular shaped towers had large openings to accommodate larger weapons. The castle has 3 large areas: the Knight's Hall, the Diet Hall and the circular stairway. The halls are rectangular in shape and are decorated with marble. The Diet Hall was used for ceremonies or formal receptions whilst the Knight's Hall was used for feasts. In 1456, John Hunyadi died and work on the castle has stagnated. Starting with 1458, new commissions were being undergone to construct the Matia Wing of the castle. In 1480, work has completely stopped on the castle and it was recognised as being one of the biggest and most impressive buildings in Western Europe.

The 16th century did not bring any improvements to the castle, but during the 17th century new additions have been made, for aesthetic and military purposes. Aesthetically, the new Large Palace has been built facing the town. A two level building, it hosted living chamber and a large living area. For military purposes, two new towers were constructed: the White Tower and the Artillery Tower. Also, the external yard was added, used for administration and storage. The current castle is the result of a fanciful restoration campaign undertaken after a disastrous fire and many decades of total neglect. It has been noted that modern "architects projected to it their own wistful interpretations of how a great Gothic castle should look". [2]

The ruins of the castle in 1865

As one of the most important properties of John Hunyadi, the castle was transformed during his reign. It became a sumptuous home, not only a strategically enforced point. With the passing of the years, the masters of the castle had modified its look, adding towers, halls and guest rooms. The gallery and the keep - the last defense tower (called "Neboisa" which means "Not afraid" in Serbian language), which remained unchanged from John Hunyadi's time, and the Capistrano Tower (named after the saint, Franciscan monk from the Battle of Belgrade in 1456) are some of the most significant parts of the construction. Other significant parts of the building are the Knights' Hall (a great reception hall), the Club Tower, the White bastion, which served as a food storage room, and the Diet Hall, on whose walls medallions are painted (among them there are the portraits of Matei Basarab, ruler from Wallachia, and Vasile Lupu, ruler of Moldavia). In the wing of the castle called the Mantle, a painting can be seen which portrays the legend of the raven from which the name of the descendants of John Hunyadi, Corvinus came.

Legends
Tourists are told that it was the place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Vlad the Impaler) was held prisoner by John Hunyadi, Hungary's military leader and regent during the King's minority, for 7 years after Vlad was deposed in 1462. Later, Vlad III entered a political alliance with John Hunyadi, although the latter was responsible for the execution of his father, Vlad II Dracul. Because of these links, the Hunedora Castle is sometimes mentioned as a source of inspiration for Bram Stoker's Castle Dracula. In fact, Stoker neither knew about Vlad's alliance with Hunyadi, nor about Hunyadi's castle. Instead, Stoker's own handwritten research notes confirm that the novelist imagined the Castle Dracula to be

situated on an empty top in the Transylvanian Climani Mountains near the former border with Moldavia.[3] In the castle yard, near the 15th-century chapel, there is a well 30 meters deep. According to the legend, this fountain was dug by twelve Turkish prisoners to whom liberty was promised if they reached water. After 15 years they completed the well, but their captors did not keep their promise. It is said that the inscription on a wall of the well means "you have water, but not soul". Specialists, however, have translated the inscription as "he who wrote this inscription is Hasan, who lives as slave of the giaours, in the fortress near the church". In February 2007, Corvin Castle played host to the British paranormal television program Most Haunted Live! for a three-night live investigation into the spirits reported to be haunting the castle. Results were inconclusive.

Hunedoara Castle (also known as Hunyad Castle, Huniazilor Castle, Corvinestilor Castle) is a Gothic-Renaissance castle overlooking the town of Hunedoara in south-west Transylvania, Romania.

Hunyad Castle History

The earliest documentary evidence of the comitat of Hunyad Castle is from 1276, and its earliest known administrator is mentioned in 1295; the first castle also dates from the second half of the 13th century, but little remains of this period, although its original plan was established by Istvn Mller, who restored the castle in the early 20th century. As usual in Hungary at that period, it ran along the edge of a long cliff. In 1409 King Sigismund of Luxembourg gave the castle to Vajk, the leader of the Romanian settlement, and his son John. The present building was commissioned by John Hunyadi, imperial regent of Hungary, who built it in two stages. With its magnificent shape and careful detailing, this building gives an idea of the lost splendour of the castle of Buda, the royal capital. In the 1430s an outer ring with towers was built parallel to the old wall, preserving the basic form of the original plan. A rock-cut moat surrounds the inner castle, which was built in the second phase (1440s1450s). On the west side of the massive courtyard the two-storey Knights Hall wing was built. Each storey has two aisles, with rib vaults supported by a single row of octagonal piers. The Gothic inscription on a capital in the lower hall gives the name of the patron and the year 1452. The upper hall is reached by a spiral stair. Its entrance has a pointed arch with a surround decorated with pinnacles and a tympanum containing the finely carved arms of the Hunyadi family (a raven with a ring in its beak).

Opening on to the hall to the west is a vaulted passage with four polygonal bay windows, which give the west faade a particularly rich appearance. The fine castle chapel in the east range has a vault boss also decorated with the Hunyadi arms. The parapet of its west gallery has the arms of John Hunyadis wifes family, the Szilgyi. Connected to the south end of the castle is an enclosed passage supported by massive piers, which leads to the place of ultimate refuge, called the Nebojsa (Hungarian: Have no fear). The north range, the Golden House, was extended in the third quarter of the 15th century by King Matthias Corvinus, son of John Hunyadi. His brick building is easily distinguishable from the earlier stone buildings. A two-storey arcade opens on to the courtyard, its upper storey ornamented with a narrative wall painting, probably representing the legendary genealogy of John Hunyadi. In the 17th century the castle passed into the possession of the Transylvanian princes and, especially under Gabriel Bethlen (16131629), was embellished with new extensions and various alterations. The upper storey of the Knights Hall was divided into three rooms by removing the vaulting and piers, and beneath the new flat roof were painted pictures of famous men. Prince Bethlen also divided the chapel with a vault. Later the Hunedoara Castle gradually fell into partial ruin; after a serious fire in 1854 restoration work continued until 1914. The restorations undertaken in the 1960s included the return of the chapel and the upper Knights Hall to their original state.

Hunedoara castle, located in Transylvania, Romaniais around 185 miles northwest of Bucharest in Black Valley within the Carpathian Mountain range and situated by the river Zlasti. The real location where Count Dracula once inhabited and many say his spirit or undead presence still wanders. Hunedoara castle, also referred to as Hunyad Castle named after the Hunyadi Dynasty, the most powerful rulers of Transylvania that occupied the castle for many years. The castle was built sometime during the 13th or 14th century. The structure is 13 stories high and was the most powerful fortress in its time. During the Hunyadi era, many people were brutally tortured and killed within the castle walls, high-ranking soldiers were brought here and brutally beaten, hanged, decapitated and many other atrocious things. Even though the castle has thick stone walls, screams were heard throughout the countryside. A common torture method was impalement which entailed the use of a wooden stake that was oiled heavily and the large wooden spike was often inserted into the ground. The victim was then lodged onto the stake, with the wood inserted through their body. Keep in mind that the ends of the stake were rounded not pointed, this combined with the oil made the pain much more unbearable and the weight of the victim would cause them to sink slowly to their eventual death.

In 1441, John Hunyadi, the ruler and most powerful warlord captured 12 Turkish soldiers and had them dig a well for him, telling them if they built it they would be set free. The well took 15 years to complete and was finished after Hunyadi had already died. When the prisoners demanded to be set free, Hunyadis son informed them that the deal had been made by his father, not himself. He denied them their freedom. He then cut all the Turks heads off. Before they were executed one of prisoners had scraped a phrase into the stone wall at the bottom of the well reading, You may have water, but you have no souls Hunyadis son stuffed the heads in a bag and threw them at the bottom of the well.

The Well (Photo by: Craig Heimburger)

"You may have water, but you have no soul." inscribed by executed Turk. (Photo by: Craig Heimburger)

What is ironic is John Hunyadi slaughtered Vlad III or Draculas father and had his older brother captured, forced him to dig his own grave and had him buried alive while he died of suffocation. Dracula knew he couldnt go up against the powerful warrior and sided with him. He then asked Hunyadi to train him as a knight and this is where Dracula learned the craft of impaling. This was his primary torture method and he impaled many prisoners. He would dine at a table when they were being put on the stake and he would take bread and dip it into their blood, enjoying his high protein meal, slurping the liquid. At 17 he was King of the throne, ruling Wallachia, a nearby region bordering Transylvania just south of the Southern Carpathian Mountains (what is presentday Serbia and Bulgaria). During his 6 year rule he had more than 100,000 people impaled, most of them Turks he had fought against the Ottoman Empire. One day during a battle, Vlad and his stepbrother Radu were outnumbered by Ottomans and Vlad fled from the scene. Radu and the remainder of the army fought off the Turks and later he had Matthias Cornivus imprison Vlad in Hunedoara castle, saying his punishment was for his cruel tortures against the Turks. He was held prisoner in 1462 for 7 years in the Detention Tower. During his confinement, he staked rats to the walls in order to fulfill his impaling fetish since he had no other victims. He drank the rodents blood and made requests for other animals bloods to the guards, creeping them out. There is an ancient creature in Romanian legends called Strigoi which is an undead creature. Many believe Dracula was destined to become this after he died because of his cruel, maniac practices. When monks brought Draculas body to a Monastery and had the casket placed under an altar, the casket was opened later and his body was gone, with only animal bones remaining. His appetite for blood and the Strigoi stories are where the vampire theories stemmed from that eventually gave Bram Stoker his idea for his famous novel. Draculas presence is not the only supernatural entity known to exist in the castle however. Sometime in the 16th century two children were found murdered in their beds, another woman having an affair with a soldier was murdered by her husband and her body was found buried behind a wall 200 years later. The castle has also had many attempted Exorcisms to attempt to rid of the negative energy and spirits that many claim to still occupy the castle, but despite they remain.

Gargoyles on outside of Castle (Photo by: Flickr, Rasears) Architecture of the castle The original Royal Fortress was built in the 13th or 14th century, its walls were made of dolomite limestone and pebble stone at approximately 2 meters wide. From 1440-1446, Ioan of Hunedoara, then the Governor of Hungary wanted to turn the fortress into a castle in order to show importance of his new status. There were many features added during this phase including Gothic-style towers such as the Capistrano Tower, Uninhabited Tower and Drummers Tower to serve as lookouts and a Chapel. In the 17th century further additions were commissioned by Prince Gabriel Bethlen including: The Big Palace and the Artillery Terrace which is open platform for firearm use. In the 19th century, a neo-gothic gallery and monumental staircase were added to Bethlen Palace along with a supervision tower added to the Artillery Terrace. The interior of the castle houses many exquisite rooms such as the knight's hall, diet's hall, guard rooms, and sleeping quarters. Halloween 2009 tour (October 27-November 5, 2009) Interested in seeing Hunedoara Castle and learning more about Count Dracula and the town of Transylvania? Transylvania Live Tour Company is offering a special 10-day Halloween tour. Not only will you get to experience Hunedoara, but many other famous castles and sites related to Dracula. Go to Tokaj and sample the same wine Dracula served to his guests. See the famous Merry Cemetery in Sapinta, well known for its wood-carved memorial crosses On your journey you will meet a famous woodcraftsmen to help you make the perfect wooden stake Stay in Draculas castle which was modeled after Bram Stokers ideas. See the Turda Salt Mines, Sighisoara, the preserved medieval citadel in Europe and UNESCO site, also see Draculas birthplace house along with much more!

The Inner Room (Photo by: AP)

Sarmizegetusa Regia
Sarmizegetusa Regia (= cea regeasc), situat n satul Grditea Muncelului, judeul Hunedoara, a fost capitala Daciei preromane. Toponimul Sarmizegetusa a aprut n inscripiile antice i la autorii antici (pn n sec. al VII-lea) i n alte variante (cu inscripionare n elin ilatin): Zarmizeghthousa[3], Sarmireg, Sarmizge[4], (colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica) Zarmitz[5], Sarmazege, Sarmizege[6] etc. Numele ar putea fi unul dacic, dar a fost pstrat doar n variate forme fonetice ale limbilor greac i latin. Cetatea dacic Sarmizegetusa Regia a fost inclus pe lista patrimoniului cultural mondial UNESCO.
Cuprins
[ascunde]

1 Etimologie 2 Descriere 3 Apogeu i declin 4 Alte informaii 5 Galerie de imagini 6 Note 7 Bibliografie 8 Vezi i 9 Legturi externe

Etimologie
Nu se cunoate pronunarea din limba dacic n mod cert i nici sensul cuvntului. Att Constantin Daicoviciu n lucrarea Ulpia Traiana, ct iLiviu Mrghitan n Civilizaia geto-dacilor prezint teoria profesorului Ioan I. Russu (n Limba traco-dacilor, cap. 5)[7] care spune c numele este compus din dou elemente de baz: zermi (stnc, nlime) i zeget (palisad, cetate), din indoeuropeanul *gegh- creang, stlp (pt. palisad), terminndu-se cu un determinativ i avnd nelesul de Cetatea de pe stnc, Cetatea nalt, Cetate de palisade (construit) pe nlime (sau stnc). Deoarece Sarmizegetusa iniial nu era o fortificaie militar, ci o aezare religioas i civil, etimologia trebuie luat n considerare cu anumite rezerve. Se poate ca numele s fi artat chiar sacralitatea acelui loc, sau faptul c era o cetate regeasc, la origine[8][9]. O alt teorie spune c numele ar nsemna: aezarea sarmailor i a geilor de la termenii: sarmis et getusa din latin[10] Vasile Prvan a respins aceast ipotez, artnd c sarmaii au nceput s ptrund n teritoriul getic abia dup epoca lui Traian i c numele capitalei era mult mai vechi.[11]. Prvan a propus citirea Sarmiz-egetusa n sensul Egetusa a lui Sarmos sau Zarmos, artnd c Zarmos/Zermos a fost un nume tracic cunoscut i citat de cercettorul austriac (de etnie ceh) Wilhelm Tomaschek, n lucrarea standard Vechii traci, un studiu etnologic.[12] Opinia lui Prvan a fost mprtit de savantul bulgar tracolog Dimitr Decev, care a adus n discuie, comparativ, numele de persoane din Lycia (Licia)Zermounsis, Ro-zarmas, Ia-zarmas, Troko-zarmas i varianta trac bazat pe Zermos, Xermo-sgestos sau Zermo-sgestos.[13] Tomaschek propusese n acea lucrare din sec. al XIX-lea citirea Zermi-zegtousa, prima parte comparndo cu harmy din sanscrit vatr; cmin; familie i cu cuvntul armenesc zarm(i) familia suboles, sensul final presupus de Tomaschek fiind casa naiunii (getice). Aceste ncercri i altele de a afla semnificaia toponimului Sarmizegetusa au generat teorii care rmn doar la stadiul de ipoteze.

Descriere

Machet cu incinta sacr de la Sarmizegetusa Monede dacice de tip Koson

Cetatea de pe Dealul Grditei este cea mai mare dintre fortificaiile dacice. Aflat pe vrful unei stnci, la 1.200 de metri nlime, fortreaa a fost centrul strategic al sistemului defensiv dac din Munii Ortiei, i cuprindea ase citadele. Fortreaa, un patrulater alctuit din blocuri masive de piatr (murus dacicus), a fost construit pe cinci terase, pe o suprafa de aproximativ 30.000 m. Sarmizegetusa coninea deasemenea o zon sacr. Printre cele mai importante i mari sanctuare circulare dacice se afl i Calendarul Circular. Zidul cetii avea 3 m grosime i o nlime de aproximativ 4 - 5 m n momentul finalizrii construciei lui. Deoarece zidul care ngrdete o suprafa de circa 3 ha este construit n asa fel nct respect marginile nlimii, cetatea are o configuraie mai neobinuit, de hexagon cu laturile inegale. n apropiere, spre vest, se afl, pe o suprafa de 3 km, o ntins aezare civil, n care se observ foarte multe locuine, ateliere, magazii, hambare, rezezervoare de ap. La 100 de metri spre est, n dreptul porii cetii, din acelai punct cardinal, se afl sanctuarele, care au forme i mrimi variate. Sanctuarele erau situate pe o teras, care fusese legat de poarta amintit anterior printr-un drum pavat. Nu se tie dac erau apte sau opt sanctuare patrulatere, deoarece ele au fost distruse de romani n timpul ostilitilor i nu se poate aprecia dac era un singur sanctuar mare sau dou mai mici construite foarte aproape. Sanctuarele circulare sunt doar dou. Se remarc i pavajul de andezit sub forma unui soare cu razele compuse din segmente de cerc. Obiectele de dimensiuni reduse, gsite la Grditea Muncelului sunt de forme i dimensiuni diferite. Ies n eviden un vas cu o inscripie cu litere ale alfabetului latin, DECEBALVS PER SCORILO, nite blocuri de calcar culitere greceti i monedele din aur cu nscrisul KOSON. Civilii locuiau pe lng fortrea, pe terasele construite n josul muntelui. Nobilimea dacic avea ap n rezidenele lor, adus prin evi ceramice. Inventarul arheologic gsit la sit dovedete c societatea Dacic avea un standard nalt de via.

Apogeu i declin

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa n Harta Iosefin a Transilvaniei, 1769-1773

Capitala Daciei a atins apogeul sub Decebal, regele dac nfrnt de Imperiul Roman in timpul domniei mpratului Traian. Dup nfrngerea dacilor, cuceritorii au stabilit o garnizoan militar acolo i au nceput s drme cetatea. Noua capital roman, Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa a fost construit la o distan de 40 km de Sarmizegetusa Regia. mpratul Hadrian, voia ca noua capital construit de Traian s fie perceput ca o continuatoare a celei dacice, de aceea i -a i adugat numele de Sarmizegetusa. Astzi, pe locul Ulpiei Traiana Sarmizegetusa se afl localitatea Sarmizegetusa, din judeul Hunedoara.

Alte informaii
Toate cele 6 fortree (Sarmizegetusa Regia, Luncani - Piatra Roie, Costeti - Blidaru, Costeti Cetuie, Cplna i Bnia) care au format sistemul defensiv al lui Decebal, fac acum parte din patrimoniul cultural mondial UNESCO. n 2011 angajaii unei firme au distrus o parte din situl dacic pentru a construi o parcare de 3.000 de metri ptrai, punnd zidul cetii n pericol de prbuire pe o lungime de aproximativ 30 de metri. Amenajarea parcrii a fost pltit de Consiliul Judeean Hunedoara, fiind destinat turitilor venii s viziteze situl i s -a fcut fr aprobarea sau supravegherea arheologilor [14].

Galerie de imagini

Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sanctuarele de andezit,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sanctuarul mare de calcar,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sanctuarul mare de calcar,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sanctuarul mic de calcar,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Discul solar,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Murus dacicus,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Drum dacic pavat,Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sarmizegetusa Regia (also Sarmisegetusa, Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza, (Zarmizegethousa), (Zermizegethouse) ) was the capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the Dacians. Erected on top of a 1,200 metre high mountain, the fortress was the core of the strategic defensive system in the Ortie Mountains (in presentday Romania), comprising six citadels. Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital of Dacia prior to the wars with the Roman Empire. It should not be confused with Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the Roman capital of Dacia built by Roman Emperor Trajan, which was not the Dacian capital, located some 40 km away. Sarmizegetusa Ulpia was discovered earlier, was known already in the early 1900s, and initially confused with the Dacian capital. This inevitably led to inaccuracies regarding Dacian wars and Dacians military system [3] based solely on insufficient information.

Etymology
Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain the origin of the name Sarmizegetusa. The most important are the following: The citadel built of the palisades on mountain peak from ZERMI (*gher-mi, mountain peak, top [4] cf. *gher stone, high) and ZEGE-T (*geg(h)t) City of warm river from ZARMI warm (derived from Sanskrit gharma warm) and ZEGET flow (derived from Sanskrit sarj, bactrien harez; sarjana, harezna flow), the city being named after [5] the nearby river Sargetia

The palace that illuminates the world of life from "ZARMYA" palace (Sanskrit harmya palace), ZEGETH world of life (Sanskrit jagat, jigat go, mobility / world of life) and "USA" illuminaing [6] (enlightening, burning)

Layout

Map of the site

Sarmizegetusa Regia contained a citadel and living areas with dwellings and workshops, but it also contained a sacred zone. The fortress, a quadrilateral formed by massive stone blocks (murus dacicus), was constructed on five terraces, on an area of almost 30,000 m. The sacred zone among the most important and largest circular and rectangular Dacian sanctuaries includes a number of rectangular temples, the bases of their supporting columns still visible in regular arrays. Perhaps the most enigmatic construction at the site is the large circular sanctuary. It consisted of a D shaped setting of timber posts, surrounded by a timber circle, which was surrounded by a low stone kerb. The layout of the timber settings bears a broad [7] resemblance to the stone monument at the Stonehenge in England. The Andesite Sun from the site seems to have been used as a sundial. This idea is supported by known influences on Dacian culture from Hellenistic Greece, influences which may have [7] included ideas about geometry and astronomy. The civilians lived down from the fortress, in settlements built on artificial terraces, such as the [8] one at Feele Albe. Dacian nobility had flowing water, brought through ceramic pipes, in their residences.

The archaeological inventory found at the site shows that Dacian society had a high standard of living.

History

Early attestations

Zarmizegethusa Regia on Dacia's map from a medieval book made after Ptolemy's Geographia (ca. 140 AD).

The royal Dacian capital Zarmizegethusa is mentioned under a large number of orthographic varieties [9] due to several different pronunciations of the name: Zarmigethusa, Sarmisegethusa (Ptolemy, Geography, 2nd century AD) Zermizegethusa (Dio Cassius 2nd-3rd century) Sarmazege (Anonymous Geographer from Ravenna, around 700 AD) Sarmategte (Tabula Peutingeriana, 13th century) Zarmizegetusa & Sarmizegetusa (inscriptions) Sargetia - the river nearby

Pre-Roman era
Towards the end of his reign, Burebista transferred Geto-Dacians capital from Argedava to [10][11] Sarmizegetusa. For at least one and a half century, Sarmizegethusa was the Dacians' capital and reached its acme under King Decebal. Archaeological findings in this area have thrown new light on the political, economic and scientific apogee of Dacian culture, the latter testified by the solar calendar. Burebista and Decebalus creatively assimilated the technological achievements of Greek and Roman culture, out of which Decebalus was in process of making a Dacian classical age when [12] Trajan's legions struck the final blow. And, these show that Dacian's god Zalmoxis and his chief [13] priest had an important role in Dacian society. The site yields two important finds: One is a medical kit, contained in a brassbound wooden box with an iron handle. It contained a [14] scalpel, tweezers, powdered pumice and miniature pots for pharmaceuticals. The other important find was a huge vase twenty-four inches (0.6 meter) high and forty-one inches (1 metre) across. It is stamped in mirror-writing, in the Roman alphabet, DECEBAL PER [14] SCORILO i.e. Decebalus, son (cf. Latin puer) of Scorilus.

Roman Dacia and Moesia Inferior.

Also, there had been found 400 iron tools, made with the metre-long tongs, hammers, and anvils found in the smithies north of the sanctuary: scythes, sickles, hoes, rakes, picks, pruning hooks, [12] knives, plowshares, and carpenters' tools. Finds include weapons, too i.e. daggers, curved Dacian [12] scimitars, spearpoints, shield-bosses.

The defensive system

The Dacians capitals defensive system includes six Dacian fortresses Sarmizegetusa, CostetiBlidaru, Piatra Roie, Costeti-Cetuie, Cplna and Bnia. All 6 have been named UNESCO World heritage sites.

Roman era
Sarmisegetusa's walls were partly dismantled at the end of First Dacian war in AD 102, when Dacia was invaded by the Emperor Trajanof the Roman Empire. The Dacians rebuilt them. The Romans [12] systematically destroyed them again in 106 and deported the inhabitants. The Roman conquerors established a military garrison at Sarmisegetusa Regia. Later, the capital of Roman Dacia was established 40 km from the ruined Dacian capital, and was named after it Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa.

armisegetuza Regia is the name of the capital of pre-Roman Dacia, actually a complex of sanctuaries, situated in The Mountains of Orastie, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, from which the most remarkable are Sanctuarul Mare Rotund (Big Rounded Sanctuary) and Soarele de andezit (The Andesito Sun).

Sarmisegetusa Regia Most of the archeologists assert that the city was raised in between the 3rd and the 2nd century before Christ, while others sustain that it would be at least 600 years older than that. One of the reasons of this dispute could be the striking resemblance of the Big Rounded Sanctuary with those of Stonehenge. It seems that the same architect has conceived them both, the only difference being that the one from Orastie is smaller. Then, The Andesito Sun can be easily resembled to the famous Maya calendar. The capital of Dacia was conquered and destroyed by the Roman army in the year 106 after Christ. Its ruins were revealed for the first time in 1923 due to the diggings made under the lead of professor D. M. Teodorescu from the department of archeology of the University in Cluj Napoca, then continued by the academician professor C. Daicoviciu and by Hadrian Daicoviciu until 1944. The road is not generous for those who want to get at the ruins of the ancient Dacian fortress. If there is asphalt laid from Orastie till Costesti, few are those who dare continue their trip by car following the next 20 km on forestry path. As a matter o fact Orastie can be considered a departure point for the Dacian fortresses; Sarmisegetuza Regia, The Fortress of Costesti (18 km away from Orastie), the Stone Walls of the Fortress from Blidaru (4km away from Orastie). At about 40 km away from Orastie Mountains, in the department of Sarmisegetuza, in the SouthWest of the Hateg Depression, where are the ruins of the other fortress bearing the same name, capital of Roman Dacia, also called Ulpia Traiana Sarmisegetuza, founded by the governor Terentius Scaurianus between 108 110.For two centuries, it represented the political and administrative center of the province of Dacia. The sieges of the governor, of the administration, of the financial system, of the military, economic and religious centers were situated inside the fortress. During the rule of Emperor Hadrian (117-138), Sarmisegetuza was called Colonia Ulpia Traiana Sarmisegetuza, and then during the period 222-235, to its name was added the epithet of metropolis.