| Diana Fortress | |
|---|---|
 Diana Fortress east gate | |
  Location within Serbia | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Fortification, mixed |
| Town or city | Karataš, Kladovo Municipality |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Coordinates | 44°39′13″N 22°32′38″E / 44.65361°N 22.54389°E |
| Completed | 101AD. Modifications ~275-325AD Rebuilt 530AD |
| Demolished | ~350AD |
| Designations | Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance |
Diana Fort (Serbian: Тврђава Диана, romanized: Tvrđava Diana) is a Roman fort located near the hamlet of Karataš, 8 km northwest of Kladovo, in eastern Serbia in the Karataš archaeological site. It is located on cliffs of the Đerdap, above the Danube,[1] on a strategic location overlooking the Danube frontier. It has been extensively excavated, is one of the best explored forts of the Moesian Limes, and can be visited today.
It was built in the Tiberian-Claudian age as part of the Roman Moesian Limes frontier system of linked forts along the Danube. After its destruction during Domitian's Dacian War, it was rebuilt in 100 AD during preparation for Trajan's Dacian Wars with a larger area of 1.7 ha (compared to the earlier 1.04 ha)[2] and with the main buildings in stone. It then became also known as Statio Cataractarum Dianae (Diana Cataracts Station) as it protected the entrance to the canal dug in preparation for the wars to avoid cataracts in the main river course.[3] The canal was more than 3 km long and 40 m wide, an achievement celebrated on the Imperial Tablet found near the fort.
The fort measured 172 x 100 m and had semicircular towers. 150 m west of it was a civilian settlement, and on the eastern side an ancient cemetery; an aqueduct has also been discovered.
Modifications were made at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th century when additional towers were added towards the river for extra defence towards the Danube shores. In the mid 4th century the fort was damaged by the invading Huns and in 530 AD rebuilt by Emperor Justinian.
- ^ "Diana Fortress". www.panacomp.net. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ Jęczmienowski, E. 2013. the Fortifications of the Upper Moesian Limes. Topography, Forms, Garrison Sizes, Światowit 51/A (2012), 31–58.
- ^ Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Serbia) https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6475/