Sarmizegetusa Regia

2010-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Directed Sarmizegetusa (= the royal), located in the village Grădiştea Muncelului, Hunedoara county, was the capital of pre-Roman Dacia.

Toponym Sarmizegetusa appeared in ancient inscriptions and ancient authors (up to seventh century) and other variants (with celery and watermark in Latin): Zarmizeghéthousa, Sarmireg, Sarmizge, (colony Ulpia Augusta Traiana Dacica) Zarmitz, Sarmazege, Sarmizege etc.. Dacian name could be one, but was only kept in various phonetic forms of Greek and Latin languages.Directed Sarmizegetusa Dacian fortress was included in the UNESCO world cultural heritage list.

Etymology
It is not known rule of the Dacian language and certainly no meaning. Both Constantine in his Ulpia Daicoviciu Traiana and Liviu Geto-Dacian civilization Mărghitan in the theory of Professor John I. Russu (Dacian Thracian language, Chapter V century that says the name is composed of two basic elements: Zermatt (rock , height) and zeget (stockade, fortress), the Indo-gegh * "branch, the pillar (for palisade), ending with a determinative and having the meaning of" Fortress Rock "," City High "," palisade fortress (built) in height (or rock). Sarmizegetusa Because it was not originally a military fortification, but a civil religion and location, the etymology should be considered with some reservations. It may be noted that even the sacred name to that place or that it was a royal fortress, originally.

Another theory says that the name would mean "putting Sarmatians and Dacians" in the terms of Latin Sarmis getusa et Vasile Parvan rejected this hypothesis, showing that the Sarmatians had gone into the territory only after Trajan's getic and the namecapital was much older. Parvan Sarmiz-egetusa proposed reading to mean "Egetusa of wire" or "Zarmos" showing that Zarmos / Zermatt was a Thracian name known researcher quoted Austrian (Czech ethnicity) Tomaschek Wilhelm, the standard work of ancient Thracians, ethnological study. His opinion was shared by the scientist Parvan Thracology Dimitur Decev Bulgarian, which brought into question, balancing personal names of Lycia (Licia) Zermounsis, Ro-zarmas, Take zarmas, Troko zarmas and variant-based Thracian Zermatt, Xermo sígestos Zermo-or-sígestos.Tomaschek proposed in that work of nineteenth-century reading zegétousa Zermatt, comparing it with the first part of Sanskrit harmyá "fireplace, hearth, family and with the word Armenian zarm (i)" family suboles "meaning the final assumed Tomaschekthe "house nation (getics).

These tests and others to find meaning toponym Sarmizegetusa generated theories remain only at the stage of hypothesis.

Gradistei Fortress Hill is the largest of Dacian fortresses. Located on top of a cliff, 1,200 feet high, the fortress was the center's strategic defense system if Orastie Mountains, and included six citadels.Fortress, a quadrilateral composed of massive blocks of stone (murus dacicus), was constructed on five terraces, on an area of approximately 30,000 m². Sarmizegetusa also contained a sacred area. Among the most important and largest circular Dacian sanctuaries and calendar is circular.

City wall was three meters thick and a height of about 4-5 m at the completion of construction. Since the wall that restricts an area of about 3 hectares is constructed in such a way that respects edge height, the city has an unusual configuration, the hexagon with unequal sides. Nearby, west, lies on an area of 3 km, a large civil settlement, which is observed in many homes, workshops, warehouses, barns, water tanks. At 100 meters to the east, opposite the city gate, the same cardinal, are sanctuaries, which have various shapes and sizes. Sanctuaries were located on a terrace, which was connected to the gate mentioned above by a paved road. It is not known if there were seven or eight shrines quadrilaterals because they were destroyed by the Romans during the war and can not determine whether it was one large or two smaller shrine built very close. Circular sanctuaries are only two. It is also remarkable pavement andesite sun rays as a circle composed of segments. Small objects found in Grădiştea Muncelului are different shapes and sizes. Stand out in a bowl with an inscription in letters of the Latin alphabet, "DECEBALVS per Scorilo, some limestone blocks with letters of gold coins with Greek inscription" Koson.Civilians living near the fort, built on terraces down the mountain. Dacian nobility had water in their residences, brought through ceramic pipes. The archaeological inventory found at the site proves that Dacian society had a high standard of living.

Dacian capital reached its zenith under Decebal king if defeated by the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Trajan. After the defeat of the Dacians, the conquerors established a military garrison there and began to demolish the city. The new Roman capital, Colonia Traiana Augusta Ulpia Dacica Sarmizegetusa was built at a distance of 40 km from Sarmizegetusa Regia. Emperor Hadrian, he wanted a new capital built by Trajan to be perceived as a follower of the Dacian, and added why the name Sarmizegetusa. Today, the place is Sarmizegetusa Traiana ULPIA Sarmizegetusa village. Gradistei hill was very long and horizontally

All the six fortresses (Sarmizegetusa Regia, Luncani - Red Stone, Costesti - Blidaru, Costesti - stronghold, chapel and Banita) that formed the defensive system of Decebal, are now part of UNESCO world cultural heritage.