Drobeta (castra)
The Drobeta (castra) was a fort built by Emperor Trajan in the province of Roman Dacia, near the present Drobeta-Turnu Severin. It was built to protect the northern side of Trajan's Bridge across the Danube which was built quickly in preparation for Trajan's Second Dacian War in 103-105 AD. It was therefore in a key strategic location from where the imperial road north into Dacia started.
| Drobeta | |
|---|---|
Drobeta fort | |
Location within Romania | |
| Alternative name(s) | Drubeta |
| Founded during the reign of | Trajan |
| Founded | 103 |
| Abandoned | c. 6th century AD |
| Attested by | Tabula Peutingeriana Notitia Dignitatum |
| Previous fortification | Dacian |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Dacia |
| Administrative unit | Dacia Apulensis |
| Administrative unit | Dacia Superior |
| Directly connected to |
|
| Structure | |
| — Stone structure — | |
| Size and area | 137 m × 122 m (1.6 ha) |
| Stationed military units | |
| — Legions — | |
| |
| — Cohorts — | |
| |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 44°37′30″N 22°40′05″E |
| Town | Drobeta-Turnu Severin |
| County | Mehedinți |
| Country | Romania |
| Reference | |
| RO-RAN | 109782.06 |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
Around it developed the Roman city of Drobeta.
The fort has been extensively excavated and is visible today.
It was the first stone fort built by Romans in Dacia and the only one that was used from the 2nd century until the beginning of the 7th century. The orientation of the fort is an exception to Roman military architecture as the Porta Praetoria gate is to the South, possibly because it defended the bridge.