Tropaeum Traiani Ensemble
- Historic monument category A; code LMI CT-I-m-A-02567
- 106-109 A.D.
- The ensemble of the fortress and the triumphal monument Tropaeum Traiani, in Adamclisi village.
Tropaeum Traiani is a Roman triumphal monument, built in honor of Emperor Traian, between the years 106 and 109, after the Roman victory against the Dacians (106).
The Tropaeum Traiani ensemble includes 9 sites: 1) Tropaeum Traiani Fortress, 2) basilica, 3) necropolis, 4) aqueduct ensemble, 5) Tropaeum Traiani triumphal monument, 6) the Roman altar, 7) the Roman tower, 8) the baths, 9) the houses outside of the fortress. The first archaeological excavations were organized in 1882 by Grigore Tocilescu.
The Tropaeum Traiani triumphal monument was rebuilt in 1977 following the archaeological discoveries made under the leadership of Adrian Rădulescu. The construction has a cylindrical socle, with several rows of circular steps at the base, with a conical roof on the upper side, with concentric scales, and from it’s center a hexagonal superstructure raises above. On the upper size is the bifacial trophy, 10,75 meters tall, portraying an armor with four cylindrical shields.
There are 54 metopes, made out of chalk from the Deleni quarry (next to Adamclisi) which portray scenes from the Roman-Dacian war. The Tropaeum Traiani Fortress was established two kilometers away from the monument, and it was first mentioned as a municipality in the year 170. It was a part of the system of defensive frontiers created by Emperor Traian along the Lower Danube. The fortress was inhabited until the 7th century. The most important discoveries from the fortress and the triumphal monuments can be found in the Archaeological Museum in Adamclisi, built and opened in 1977.
