The Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains

Before the Roman conquest, Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital of Dacia and its main political, military and religious centre. The settlement at Grădiștea Muncelului coordinated the defensive system formed by the fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains.

The fortress stands on Grădiștea Hill (Dealul Grădiștei), at an altitude of about 1,200 m. Its walls, built using the murus dacicus technique, followed the lie of the land, and the complex extended over five terraces covering some 30,000 m².

In the sacred area you can see the remains of the rectangular and circular sanctuaries, together with the andesite disc. To the west lay the civil settlement, with dwellings, workshops, storehouses and water-supply systems. Among the best-known finds are the vessel bearing the inscription “DECEBALVS PER SCORILO” and the “KOSON” gold coins.

Set near the village of Costești at an altitude of 514 m, the fortress watched over the Apa Grădiștei valley and the road to Sarmizegetusa Regia. It dates from the 1st century BC; an important civil settlement grew up at its foot, and the site is also thought to have been one of the residences of the Dacian kings.

The walls were built on the gentler slopes using the murus dacicus technique. Two faces of limestone blocks enclosed a core of stone and earth, while timber beams strengthened the whole structure.

The bastions served for storage, living quarters and defence, and two residential towers stood on the upper plateau. The fortress was destroyed in AD 106 and never rebuilt.

Built in the 1st century BC on the Blidaru ridge, the fortress dominated the left bank of the Apa Grădiștei. The complex covers almost 6,000 m² and consists of two interconnected enclosures defended by six towers.

The enclosure on the upper plateau is trapezoidal, with towers at its corners. Entry through one of the towers forced attackers to change direction, making their advance more difficult. A second, pentagonal enclosure was later added to the west.

On the Piatra Roșie plateau, at an altitude of 832 m, stands a Dacian fortress built between the late 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. The site, in Boșorod commune, was protected by a double system of fortifications.

The old enclosure measured approximately 102 × 45 m and had five towers. The stone blocks were tied together with timber beams, and the space between the two faces of the wall was filled with stone and earth. A paved, stepped road led up to the north-east entrance.

The fortress at Bănița dates from the time of Burebista, was rebuilt under Decebalus and was destroyed during the Dacian–Roman wars. Its strategic position controlled the road from the south towards Sarmizegetusa Regia.

The defensive system included enclosure walls, towers, fighting platforms, a defensive rampart and a watchtower. Two of the walls discovered here use the murus dacicus technique.

Built in the 1st century BC on a hill near the village of Căpâlna, the fortress guarded the approach from the Sebeș valley to the heart of the Dacian kingdom.

Its enclosure, built using the murus dacicus technique, protected a residential tower on the upper plateau. The fortress was destroyed during the Dacian–Roman wars.