Pietroasele
Encyclopedia
Pietroasele is a commune in Buzău County
, Romania
, known for its vineyard
s. The name means "the rockies". The commune is composed of six villages: Câlţeşti, Clondiru de Sus, Dara, Pietroasa Mică, Pietroasele and Şarânga.
castra
and thermae
were discovered in the area in the 1980s.
The Roman fort of Pietroasa de Jos, well beyond the Danubian Limes and near present-day Moldavia
, would seem to have been occupied in the fourth century A.D.
It was connected to bridge-head forts (Sucidava
, Barboşi, and the unlocated Constantiniana Daphne
) along the left bank of the Danube
river.
Near this Roman fort, built by Constantine I when he created the Constantine Wall of the Limes Moesiae
probably around 330 AD, researchers have found even a small thermae
building in the 1980s.
The Roman fortification (124 m x 158 m) was built in an area where was present the Culture of Pietroasa.. The wall was 2.7 meters thick. There were discovered some stamped briks of legio XI Claudia
Pia Fidelis from Durostorum, specific to Traian ages.Bricks stamps with LEG XI CL ANT and LEG XI CPF. Nowadays there is a small museum on the former site of the castrum.
The nearly 4000 people living in Pietroasele live mainly of agriculture
and farming, but a few are employed in tourism related to the Roman discoveries and museum.
, an Ostrogoth
ic hoard uncovered in 1837 by local villagers, is on display at the National Museum of Romanian History
, in Bucharest
.
The original gold hoard, discovered within a large ring barrow
known as "Istriţa hill" near Pietroasele, is a late fourth-century Gothic
treasure that included some twenty-two objects of gold, among the most famous examples of the polychrome style of Migration Period art
. The total weight of the find was approximately 20 kilograms (44.1 lb).
Of the twenty-two pieces, only twelve have survived, conserved at the National Museum of Romanian History
, in Bucharest
: a large eagle-headed fibula and three smaller ones encrusted with semi-precious stones; a patera
, or round sacrificial dish, modelled with Orphic figures surrounding a seated three-dimensional goddess in the center; a twelve-sided cup, a ring
with a Gothic runic inscription
, a large tray, two other necklaces and a pitcher.
Buzau County
Buzău is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 496,214 and the population density was 81/km².*Romanians – 97%*Roma – under 3% declared, and others....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, known for its vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s. The name means "the rockies". The commune is composed of six villages: Câlţeşti, Clondiru de Sus, Dara, Pietroasa Mică, Pietroasele and Şarânga.
History
Ruins of a third-fourth century AD RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
castra
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
and thermae
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
were discovered in the area in the 1980s.
The Roman fort of Pietroasa de Jos, well beyond the Danubian Limes and near present-day Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, would seem to have been occupied in the fourth century A.D.
It was connected to bridge-head forts (Sucidava
Sucidava
Sucidava is a Dacian and Daco-Roman historical site, situated in Corabia, Romania on the north bank of the Danube...
, Barboşi, and the unlocated Constantiniana Daphne
Constantiana Daphne
Daphne was a Byzantine fortification inaugurated, most probably in 327, on the left bank of the Danube, across Transmarisca, in the delta of the Arges river. In 367, emperor Valens crossed the Danube at Daphne using a pontoon bridge....
) along the left bank of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river.
Near this Roman fort, built by Constantine I when he created the Constantine Wall of the Limes Moesiae
Limes Moesiae
Limes Moesiae was a Roman-built system of fortifications consisting of three lines of defense, between the Black Sea shore and the Danube. Additionally, in Wallachia there were other two lines of defense: the "Constantine Wall" and the "Limes Transalutanus"....
probably around 330 AD, researchers have found even a small thermae
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
building in the 1980s.
The Roman fortification (124 m x 158 m) was built in an area where was present the Culture of Pietroasa.. The wall was 2.7 meters thick. There were discovered some stamped briks of legio XI Claudia
Legio XI Claudia
Legio undecima Claudia was a Roman legion. XI Claudia dates back to the two legions recruited by Julius Caesar to invade Gallia in 58 BC, and it existed at least until early 5th century, guarding lower Danube in Durostorum...
Pia Fidelis from Durostorum, specific to Traian ages.Bricks stamps with LEG XI CL ANT and LEG XI CPF. Nowadays there is a small museum on the former site of the castrum.
The nearly 4000 people living in Pietroasele live mainly of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and farming, but a few are employed in tourism related to the Roman discoveries and museum.
The Petroassa treasure
The Pietroasele treasurePietroasele treasure
The Pietroasele Treasure found in Pietroasele, Buzău, Romania, in 1837, is a late fourth-century Gothic treasure that included some twenty-two objects of gold, among the most famous examples of the polychrome style of Migration Period art...
, an Ostrogoth
Ostrogoth
The Ostrogoths were a branch of the Goths , a Germanic tribe who developed a vast empire north of the Black Sea in the 3rd century AD and, in the late 5th century, under Theodoric the Great, established a Kingdom in Italy....
ic hoard uncovered in 1837 by local villagers, is on display at the National Museum of Romanian History
National Museum of Romanian History
The National Museum of Romanian History is a museum on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanianhistorical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times....
, in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
The original gold hoard, discovered within a large ring barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
known as "Istriţa hill" near Pietroasele, is a late fourth-century Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
treasure that included some twenty-two objects of gold, among the most famous examples of the polychrome style of Migration Period art
Migration Period art
Migration Period art denotes the artwork of the Germanic peoples during the Migration period . It includes the Migration art of the Germanic tribes on the continent, as well the start of the Insular art or Hiberno-Saxon art of the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic fusion in the British Isles...
. The total weight of the find was approximately 20 kilograms (44.1 lb).
National Museum of Romanian History
The National Museum of Romanian History is a museum on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanianhistorical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times....
, in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
: a large eagle-headed fibula and three smaller ones encrusted with semi-precious stones; a patera
Patera
A patera was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, primarily in a ritual context such as a libation. These paterae were often used in Rome....
, or round sacrificial dish, modelled with Orphic figures surrounding a seated three-dimensional goddess in the center; a twelve-sided cup, a ring
Ring of Pietroassa
The Ring of Pietroassa is a gold Torc-like necklace found in a ring barrow in Pietroassa , Buzău County, southern Romania , in 1837. It formed part of a large gold Hoard dated to between 250 and 400 CE...
with a Gothic runic inscription
Gothic runic inscriptions
Very few Elder Futhark inscriptions in the Gothic language have been found in the territory historically settled by the Goths...
, a large tray, two other necklaces and a pitcher.