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In ancient times, on the territory found southwest of Dacia after the conquest
were formed two military ground alignments Lederata–Tibiscum and Dierna–
Tibiscum, along with two other along the Danube between Banatska Palanka–
Dierna and Drobeta on Mureş river, far less conclusive currently, the one from
Bulci–Micia. The fortifications have attracted the attention of specialists further-
more as they were backed by earth walls marking the boundaries and thus protected
the province.
The most majority of the studies have emerged in postwar period through the
establishment of new museums in Reşiţa and Caransebeş alongside Timişoara and
Arad, thus increasing the number of archaeologists concerned with research in the
area. The most important researches have been conducted by Professor M. Macrea,
D. Protase, N. Gudea, following in the last decades the Banat museums specialists,
as Ovidiu Bozu and the author of this work together with the autorship of the Western
University. Moreover, preventive work triggered by certain modern constructions,
either for utilities or highways have helped to identify and even unveil residential
complexes found both on the province territory and outside it. So far the research is
far from offering a complex view of the entire ancient habitat.
Daco-Roman preliminaries
. At the beginning of the first century A.D the
formation of the Roman border on the south bank of the Danube brought into direct
political and military contact the Roman Empire and the north-Danubian Dacian
world, right in the south-west sector of it. The beginnings of the military organisation
of that territory were the result of two military campaigns undertaken by the
Roman legatus of Macedonia,
Marcus Licinius Crassus
between 29–28 B.C., when
most of the indigenous population of Moesia was pacified and was no longer
considered a significant military threat. Thus, it is well known that general
C. Cn.
Lentulus
initiated the organisation of the first
praesidia –
on the right Danube bank,
in order to have better navigation controll, and also for the minute surveillance of
Dacians. The name Cotiso as Dacians king during Augustus, appears in the famous
inscription – last will of the emperor, entitled
Res Gestae divi Augusti
(XXXX, 2)
an indirect clue on the importance the Dacian king had in his contacts with the
Romans. The residence of Dacian king Cotiso was found in Sebeş mountains, we
can not rule out the possibility that its capital was found somewhere in the
mountains of Banat, from where access to the Danube was free and much easier to
achieve precisely in the sector found in front of Cazane. One can suppose that the
Dacian incursion occurred sometime in the year 16 A.D (following an invasion of
the Scordisci) or in 11 A.D (after the defeat of the uprising Thracians). However,
when the revolt of Dallmats and Pannonians against Roman administration burst,
around 6 A.D in the western part of future Moesia province, Roman military
garrisons were already installed. The venue of these events is placed near Banat
appropriate territory and the area around it, the southern plains of Tisza and
Danube representing the first place of public contact found in literary sources for
Dacians and Romans.
Another great revolt of the populations found in Illyricum province bursts in
6 A.D, and was directed against Roman administration abuse. A Roman general,