The conurbation of Apulum was a major urban centre of

Roman Dacia Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today ...

, nowadays completely covered by the city of

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historica ...

. Two towns developed in the vicinity of the castrum of Apulum: Colonia Aurelia Apulensis, a pagus of

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa was the capital and the largest city of Roman Dacia, later named ''Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa'' after the former Dacian capital, located some 40 km away. Built on the ground of a camp of th ...

, located south of the castrum on the bank of Marisus river which was raised to the status of colonia during Commodus(177-192), and Nova Apulensis which developed closer to the castrum and which was also raised to colonia from the time of

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succ ...

(193-211) and named municipium Septimium Apulense in his honour. The conurbation extended over 140 ha in the 3rd century with an estimated population between 15,000 and 20,000. The two towns and the castrum, commonly referred together as Apulum, had numerous temples including a

Mithraeum A Mithraeum , sometimes spelled Mithreum and Mithraion ( grc, Μιθραίον), is a Mithraic temple, erected in classical antiquity by the worshippers of Mithras. Most Mithraea can be dated between 100 BC and 300 AD, mostly in the Roman Emp ...

and hosted the residence of the consular governor in charge of the Legio XII Gemina and

Legio V Macedonica ''Legio V Macedonica'' (the Fifth Macedonian Legion) was a Roman legion. It was probably originally levied in 43 BC by consul Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus and Augustus, Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus (later known as the Roman Emperor, Emper ...

, making it a de facto centre of Roman Dacia.

Apulum I

Initially a vicus part of Trajan's colony

, it was upgraded to municipium Aurelium Apulense by

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

. During Emperor Commodus its status was again raised to colonia, and at the beginning of the third century functioned under ''ius italicum''. Partly due to its connection to gold mining, partly as a result of its emulation for and rivalry with Sarmizegetusa which gained the status of ''metropolis'' around the same time, it was granted the epithet ''Chrysopolis'' meaning "Golden City" under the rule of

Trebonianus Gallus Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus (206 – August 253) was Roman emperor from June 251 to August 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus. Early life Gallus was born in Italy, in a family with respected Etruscan senatorial background. He ...

. The town was situated on the road going south from the fort and on the bank of Maris river, making it one of the most important trade nodes of the province. From south goods and slaves from the Empire passed through, and from the north salt, gold, and silver from the province's mines. A small harbour also functioned allowing a waterway connection to the rest of the Empire.

Apulum II

The settlement was situated around the castrum of

Legio XIII Gemina , in English the 13th Twin Legion was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he crossed the Rubicon in January, perhaps the 10th, 49 BC. The legi ...

. Once thought to have developed from the canabae of the legion, the town of Nova Apulensis, initially named municipium Septimium Apulense, was more likely created during

, considering that the legion's houses were located further to the north of the castrum. The town was the site of the Governor's Palace in Dacia - one of the most extensive buildings of its type in the Roman Empire, complete with thermae, cult places, and staff offices and residences.

After 271

In the

Aurelian Retreat Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today ...

, the local legion— XIII Gemina—, the elite and probably the merchants suddenly left the conurbation. A remaining part of the population and the emerging barbarian groups inhabited the ex-Roman city only temporarily after 271. With this, the urban culture ceased to exist. Between the 6th and 9th centuries, the territory where the castrum and Nova Apulensis once laid was repopulated, the initial settlement becoming known as Belgrad. In the construction of the Early Medieval city of Gyulafehérvár, Roman stones were re-used for the first time as the unenduring provincial architecture collapsed naturally even before the Hungarian conquest.

References

{{Reflist Former populated places in Romania Roman towns and cities in Romania Ancient history of Transylvania Trajan