Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sarmizegetusa Regia
Ruins of Dacian temples
Sarmizegetusa Regia is located in Romania
Sarmizegetusa Regia
Shown within Romania
Alternative nameDacian capital, Sarmisegetusa, Sarmizegethusa,[1] Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza, Sarmageze,[1] Sarmategte,[1] Sermizegetusa,[1] Zarmizegethusa,[1] Zarmizegethousa,[1] Zarmizegetusa,[1] Zermizegethouse
LocationGrădiștea de Munte, Hunedoara County, Romania
Coordinates45°37′19″N 23°18′33″E / 45.6219°N 23.3093°E / 45.6219; 23.3093
Altitude1,030 m (3,379 ft)
History
Abandoned2nd century AD
EventsTrajan's Dacian Wars, Battle of Sarmizegetusa
Site notes
Archaeologists
ConditionPartially reconstructed
Reference no.906
Reference no.HD-I-s-A-03190 [2]

Sarmizegetusa Regia (also known as Sarmisegetusa, Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza; Ancient Greek: Ζαρμιζεγεθούσα, romanizedZarmizegethoúsa) was the capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the Dacians before the wars with the Roman Empire. Built on top of a 1200 m high mountain, the fortress, consisting of six citadels, was the core of a strategic and defensive system in the Orăștie Mountains (in present-day Romania).

Sarmizegetusa Regia should not be confused with Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the Roman capital of Dacia built by Roman Emperor Trajan some 40 km away, which was not the Dacian capital. Sarmizegetusa Ulpia was discovered earlier, was known already in the early 1900s, and was initially mistaken for the Dacian capital, a confusion which led to incorrect conclusions being made regarding the military history and organization of the Dacians.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Dana, Dan; Nemeti, Sorin (2014-01-09). "Ptolémée et la toponymie de la Dacie (II-V)". Classica et Christiana. p. 18. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  2. ^ "National Register of Historic Monuments in Romania, Hunedoara County" (PDF). www.inmi.ro. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  3. ^ Schmitz (2005) 3