Diana Fort () is a Roman

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

located near the hamlet of Karataš, 8 km northwest of

Kladovo Kladovo ( sr-Cyrl, Кладово, ; or ) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube river. Name In Serbian language, Serbian, the town i ...

, in eastern

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

in the Karataš archaeological site. It is located on cliffs of the

Đerdap The Iron Gates (; ; ; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Vaskapu-szoros'') is a Canyon, gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia (to the south) and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of ; ...

, above the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, 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) 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. 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 The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

and in 530 AD rebuilt by Emperor

Justinian Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

Garrison

The garrisons included detachments of Roman Moesian legions (V Macedonica, VII Claudia, IIII Flavia, XIII Gemina), as well as auxiliaries: Cohors VI Thracum and Cohors V Gallorum.

Finds & Recognitions

The Imperial Tablet, an inscribed marble slab (97 X 209 X 20 cm) was found in 1969 150 m south-east of the Diana fort near the eastern edge of the Roman cemetery.Šašel, J. (1973). Trajan’s Canal at the Iron Gate. The Journal of Roman Studies, 63, 80–85. https://doi.org/10.2307/299167 It commemorated Trajan’s canal at the Iron Gate, dug in AD 101:

''The Emperor Caesar Trajan Augustus, son of the deified Nerva, victor over the Germans, chief priest, holder of the tribunician power five times, father of his country, consul for the fourth time, had the navigation along the Danube, dangerous because of the rapids, made safe by having dug a new channel''.

Besides the military buildings, a sacrificial necropolis and civilian settlement is located within the walls. Items such as various daily tools, marble and bronze sculptures were found. In 1983, Diana fort was added to the Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance (Serbia) list by the Republic of Serbia. Diana Fortress, built in 100 AD during Trajan's preparations for the Dacian wars, Moesia Superior, Serbia (28381932888).jpg Image:Diana_pan.jpg, Panorama of Diana fortress Diana Fortress, built in 100 AD during Trajan's preparations for the Dacian wars, Moesia Superior, Serbia (41353644265).jpg Diana Fortress, built in 100 AD during Trajan's preparations for the Dacian wars, Moesia Superior, Serbia (41353649515).jpg Wiki.Đerdap IV Diana Fortress 067.jpg

References

{{commons category, Diana Fort Moesia Superior Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance Roman auxiliary forts in Serbia

Garrison

Finds & Recognitions

See also

References