Civitas Tropaensium or Tropaeum Traiani (its Roman name) was a Roman city situated in the Roman province of

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

(later

Scythia Minor Scythia Minor or Lesser Scythia (Greek: , ) was a Roman province in late Antiquity, occupying the lands between the lower Danube and the Black Sea, the modern-day Dobruja region in Romania and Bulgaria. It was detached from Moesia Inferior by ...

) near modern

Adamclisi Adamclisi () is a commune in Constanța County, in the Dobrogea region of Romania. History The Battle of Adamclisi was a major clash fought nearby during Trajan's Dacian Wars in the winter of 101/102 between the Roman Empire and the Dacians r ...

Constanța County Constanța () is a Counties of Romania, county (județ) of Romania on the Bulgaria–Romania border, border with Bulgaria, in the Dobruja region. Its capital city is also named Constanța. Demographics In 2021, it had a population of 655,997 ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It was named after Trajan's Trophy (

Tropaeum Traiani The Tropaeum Traiani or Trajan's Trophy lies 1.4 km northeast of the Roman city of Civitas Tropaensium (near the modern Adamclisi, Romania). It was built in AD 109 in then Moesia Inferior, to commemorate Roman Emperor Trajan's victory over th ...

) built nearby.

History

A native settlement originally occupied the site. The area had come under Roman rule from 27 BC and became part of the client kingdom of the Odrysians, but subsequent raids by the Dacians brought further Roman counteractions until the Roman province of

was created in about 6 AD and the

Moesian Limes The Moesian Limes () is the modern term given to a linked series of Roman forts on the northern frontier of the Roman province of Moesia along the Danube between the Black Sea shore and Pannonia (present-day Hungary) and dating from the 1st cent ...

defensive frontier along the Danube had been started. However, this region remained part of the Odrysian kingdom under the name ''Ripa Thraciae''. In 46 AD the area was absorbed into the province of Moesia. In the winter of 101 to 102 during

Trajan's First Dacian War Trajan's First Dacian War took place from 101 to 102. The Kingdom of Dacia, under King Decebalus, had become a threat to the Roman Empire, and defeated several of Rome's armies during Domitian's reign (81–96). Despite the peace treaty esta ...

, and after the

Dacians The Dacians (; ; ) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often considered a subgroup of the Thracians. This area include ...

had crossed the frozen Danube in a counterattack, the

Battle of Adamclisi The Battle of Adamclisi was a major clash during the Dacian Wars, fought in the winter of 101 to 102 between the Roman Empire and the Dacians near Adamclisi, in modern Romania. Background After the victory of Second Battle of Tapae, Emperor ...

was a major clash fought nearby resulting in a decisive Roman victory, though both sides suffered very heavy casualties. The Romans built a monumental altar on the hill overlooking the settlement and about 2km east of it in 102 to commemorate the victory. In 109 AD, after

Trajan's Second Dacian War Trajan's Second Dacian War was fought between 105 and 106 because the Dacian king, Decebalus, had broken his peace terms with the Roman Emperor Trajan from the Trajan's First Dacian War. Before the War Following his subjugation, Decebalus comp ...

and the Dacians had been finally subdued, the ''Tropaeum Traiani'' was built next to the altar to commemorate the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

's victories over the Dacians, like Trajan's column in Rome. It gave its name to the Roman walled city probably also built around 109. The city was colonised with Roman veterans of the Dacian Wars, and was made a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

. The city was destroyed by the

Costoboci The Costoboci (; , or Κιστοβῶκοι) were a Dacian tribe located, during the Roman imperial era, between the Carpathian Mountains and the river Dniester river, Dniester. During the Marcomannic Wars the Costoboci invaded the Roman Empire i ...

in 170 in the

Marcomannic Wars The Marcomannic Wars () were a series of wars lasting from about AD 166 until 180. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against principally the Germanic peoples, Germanic Marcomanni and Quadi and the Sarmatian Iazyges; there were related conflicts ...

, after

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

was moved from

Troesmis Troesmis was an ancient Dacian town and later ancient Roman city and legionary fortress, a major site situated on the Danube and forming a key part of the Limes Moesiae frontier system. Around the fortress the Geto-Dacian town developed. It is ...

, as shown by funerary inscriptions of Lucius Fufidius Iulianus, a decurion and

duumvir Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally spelled ''dyarchy'', as in the '' Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate. is a form of government chara ...

(magistrate) of the city, and of a man named Daizus.

Vexillatio A ''vexillatio'' (: ''vexillationes'') was a detachment of a Roman legion formed as a temporary task force created by the Roman army of the Principate. It was named from the standard carried by legionary detachments, the ''vexillum'' (: ''vexill ...

ns of the legions I Italica and V Macedonica were deployed at Tropaeum in this period, perhaps to defend against these attacks. It was rebuilt under the

Severan dynasty The Severan dynasty, sometimes called the Septimian dynasty, ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. It was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus () and Julia Domna, his wife, when Septimius emerged victorious from civil war of 193 - 197, ...

(193-235) though was again destroyed by the

Carpi Carpi may refer to: Places * Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, a large town in the province of Modena, central Italy ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Carpi * Carpi (Africa), a city and former diocese of Roman Africa, now a Roman Catholic titular see People ...

(Goths) in 238, and again substantially rebuilt during

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

's rule with improved defensive walls. The city survived until the Avars sacked it in 587Theophilacti Simocattae, Historiae, I,8 when the Avar Hagan, although he had promised peace with the Empire for which he received 100,000 gold coins, violated the treaty and conquered Tropaeum Traiani "through a military action which gave him a lot of work, because the cities did not surrender easily". It then ceased to be an important city of

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

and was no longer mentioned for seven hundred years. TropeumTraiani 14.jpg, A smaller copy of the original monument from the eastern city gates made in the era of Constantine and Licinius Monumentul triumfal Tropaeum Traiani - vedere laterală.jpg, Tropaeum Traiani

The city

The main, east, gate to the city was built under Trajan with two rectangular towers as at other Moesian cities. Under

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 cursus honorum, the ...

(r.193 to 211) it was rebuilt with a double gate and a square internal tower. In 316 under Constantine and

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Λικίνιος; c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign, he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan that ...

it was extensively rebuilt with horseshoe-shaped towers and a smaller version (2.9 m high) of Trajan's Trophy added to it, emphasising the lasting importance of the battles won here. The main street rebuilt at the beginning of the 4th century has a well-preserved central drain for rain and wastewater, unusual for incorporating a step on which was a ceramic pipeline for water supply. Four Christian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

s have been excavated.

History

The city

References

Further reading