They find the main Roman gate of the Apulum camp in Romania

Recent excavations at the Alba Carolina fortress in central Romania uncovered traces of the main gate built by the Romans on the eastern side of the Apulum military camp. The finding confirms the scale of this Roman installation and provides new data about its original structure.

The Apulum camp was one of the most important military centers in the province of Dacia. About forty years ago, the southern gate was located, which was partially reconstructed. Now the focus has shifted to the eastern access, considered the main one due to its monumental character.

According to archaeologist Anca Timofan, the gate featured two large rectangular towers and two access arches separated by a wall. The entire structure was built with large limestone blocks. During the work, the foundation of one of those towers was discovered.

The size of the blocks and the arrangement of the elements indicate that it was an imposing entrance, designed for both military control and to project Roman power in the region. The quality of the materials reinforces the idea of a significant work within the defensive system of the camp.

Medieval Reuse of Roman Structures

Over the centuries, Roman constructions were not left abandoned. In the medieval period, they were repurposed to build the St. George gate of the fortress. This overlap of construction phases is particularly interesting for researchers.

Timofan emphasized that the overlap is even more spectacular because the Roman origin of the medieval gate had already been noted by foreign travelers in the 17th century. Their accounts now coincide with the material evidence recovered on site.

The reuse of Roman elements in later buildings is a common phenomenon in many European cities, but in this case, the continuity is especially clear. The limestone blocks and the arrangement of the foundations served as a base for the new medieval entrance.

The finding allows for a more precise reconstruction of the layout of the Apulum camp and helps understand how the site transformed over time. It also opens the door to future research on the intermediate construction phases between the Roman period and the Middle Ages.

Importance of the Discovery

The identification of the eastern gate completes the picture of the main accesses to the camp. Together with the already known southern gate, it offers a more complete view of the spatial organization of the Roman military installation.

Archaeologists emphasize that this is a significant advance in understanding the Roman presence in the area. The monumentality of the eastern entrance reflects the strategic importance of Apulum within the Dacian border system.

Furthermore, the link between the Roman structures and the medieval St. George gate concretely illustrates how the Roman past remained present in the imagination and architecture of later periods. The mentions by 17th-century travelers now find a material correlate that confirms them.

The fieldwork continues, and new surveys are expected to provide more details about the exact dimensions of the towers and arches. For now, the foundation of one of the towers already allows for a sense of the scale of the original work and its subsequent repurposing.