Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia
Nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List
Executive Summary
State Party Romania State, Province or Region Alba Argeș Bistrița-Năsăud Brașov Caraș-Severin Covasna Cluj Harghita Hunedoara Mehedinți Mureș Olt Sălaj Sibiu Teleorman Vâlcea Name of nominated property Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia Geographical coordinates to the nearest second S1 45° 8'36.25"N 22°13'19.11"E S2 46°18'17.73"N 23°18'46.71"E S3 47° 7'39.52"N 22°59'46.26"E S4 47°16'24.05"N 23°57'51.55"E S5 46°37'29.29"N 25° 3'43.73"E S6 44°56'29.39"N 24°23'26.27"E S7 44°52'6.58"N 24°56'7.31"E S8 45°30'31.02"N 23°20'27.63”E
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The large auxiliary fort at Porolissum — winter view, 2018 Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
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Description of the boundaries of the nominated property
Draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia is located wholly within present-day Romania in south-eastern Europe. It is a unique mixed frontier property that is the longest and most complex frontier sector of a former Roman province in present-day Europe. At over 1,000 km long, it represents the frontier zone, or limes, of the only former Roman province whose territory was integrally north of the Danube River. The nominated property comprises 285 component parts that trace the limes, which extends up to 500 km north of the natural boundary of the Danube River which forms the majority of Romania’s southern border. The shape is a pronounced salient or bulge which marks the western, northern, and eastern borders of the former province of Dacia established under Emperor Trajan. The province was surrounded partly by the Carpathian Mountains and its passes, which arc around the high plain of Transylvania, and included the lower Romanian/Wallachian Plain, situated between the Carpathians and the River Danube. The Dacian Limes begins at the Lower Danube in the region of Banat in the west, heading north
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into Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains, and turning east and south to encompass the Transylvanian Plateau, and then further south again along the Olt River to cross the lowlands of Muntenia to link with the Danube again in the east. Despite apparent complexity, each of the frontier sectors has distinguishing features and was not isolated or self-contained. Rather, they all fitted into an organic whole, a unified system which gives the nominated property its unique character. The frontier is characterized by different mixtures of military elements, selected according to the physical characteristics of the terrain traversed by particular sectors. Military strategy, organization and logistics, and their physical manifestation in the landscape, was strongly influenced by, and closely correlated with, the distinctive topography.
Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia ran for over 1,000 km along the western, northern and eastern borders of the Roman frontier province of Dacia, from the beginning of the Lower Danube course, heading north to encompass the Transylvanian Plateau, then southwards, crossing the lowlands of Muntenia along the Olt River, to finally reach the Danube once more. It was an integral part of the Roman frontiers for nearly 170 years, protecting it from ‘barbarian’ populations, ensuring the supervision and control of their movements at the northern fringes of the Empire. The peculiar emplacement of the province, the sheer length of its border and the high degree of exposure led to the creation of a highly complex system. It displays a wide range of military installations, including temporary camps, networks of watchtowers, artificial barriers (earthworks, walls), small fortifications, auxiliary forts and legionary fortresses, with their associated civilian settlements. The extremely varied landscape it encountered, from mountainous and forested areas, passes and valleys, to plateaus, lowlands and
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rivers courses, determined to a significant extent the emplacement, type and density of its elements. Based on these formal characteristics, no less than seven types of frontier could be discerned (both land and riverine), nevertheless integrated in a unitary border concept, an unparalleled situation in other sectors of the Roman limes. Established at the beginning of the 2nd century CE, with the conquest and annexation of the Dacian kingdom, the frontier of Dacia did not survive the late 3rd century general crisis of the Roman Empire. It was officially renounced circa 270/275 CE, when Emperor Aurelian decided to withdraw the Roman army and administration from Dacia. The relatively short time interval in which the Roman frontier of Dacia functioned was nevertheless eventful. The constant pressure on the border is well-reflected by its characteristics and dynamic evolution. It also prominently illustrates the extraordinary capacity of the Romans to adapt to the local topography and, moreover, to use it to their advantage.
The landscape of the Roman city at Sarmizegetusa Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
The Roman fort at Cășeiu Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
The landscape of the Roman fortress at Alba Iulia Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
The location of the Potaissa Roman fortress Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
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Justification for Criteria
Criteria under which the property is nominated
Criterion (iii)
As part of the Roman Empire’s general system of defense, Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia has an extraordinarily high cultural value. It bears an exceptional testimony to the maximum extension of the power of the Roman Empire through the consolidation of its northern frontiers and thus constitutes a physical manifestation of Roman imperial policy. It illustrates the Roman Empire’s ambition to dominate the world in order to establish its law and way of life there in a long-term perspective. It witnesses Roman colonization in the respective territories, the spread of Roman culture and its different traditions — military, engineering, architecture, religion management and politics — and the large number of human settlements associated with the defenses which contribute to an understanding of how soldiers and their families lived in this part of the Roman Empire.
(ii), (iii), (iv)
Criterion (ii)
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The nominated property exhibits an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. The extant remains of Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia constitute significant elements of the Roman Frontiers present in Europe. With its legionary fortresses, forts, fortlets, watchtowers, linked infrastructure and civilian architecture it exhibits an important interchange of human and cultural values at the height of the Roman Empire, through the development of Roman military architecture, extending the technical knowledge of construction and management to the very edges of the Empire. It reflects the imposition of a complex frontier system on the existing societies of the northern part of the Roman Empire, introducing for the first time military installations and related civilian settlements, linked through an extensive supporting network. The frontier did not constitute an impregnable barrier, but controlled and allowed the movement of peoples: not only the military units, but also civilians and merchants. Hence, it triggered the exchange of cultural values through movement of soldiers and civilians from different nations. This entailed profound changes and developments in terms of settlement patterns, architecture and landscape design and spatial organization. Even today, parts of the Roman frontier are discernible in the Romanian landscape.
The nominated property bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
Criterion (iv)
The nominated property is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. The Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia is a remarkable example of Roman military architecture and technological development. It testifies to the versatility and sophistication of the Roman response to specific topography and climate, set against the political, military and social backdrop of the time in the northern part of the Empire. Stretching for over 1,000 km, it is the largest segment of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire. It comprises both land and riverine border sectors, characterized by varying types, locations and densities of military installations distributed across the landscape. Fortifications of different sizes, set at irregular intervals, artificial linear barriers (stone walls, earthworks), natural barriers (mountain ranges, rivers), packed or sparse networks of watchtowers were all integrated within the same provincial border. Moreover, the numerous structural changes suffered by the frontier of Dacia throughout its nearly 170 years of existence both reflect and allow an insight into an important timeline in the history of the Roman Empire.
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The landscape of the Roman camp on Comărnicel in Șureanu Mountains Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
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Statement of Integrity
Statement of Authenticity
Requirements for protection and management
The nominated component parts of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia demonstrate the extraordinary complexity of the European frontiers of the Roman Empire. The phased establishment and the workings of the entire frontier of Dacia are exemplified and readily explained by the selection of military installations and associated structures, which ensure an adequate representation of the values and attributes of the proposed Outstanding Universal Value. The great variety of the respective installations and their different modes of operation within the same system clearly express the adaptability of Roman response to specific circumstances. Some of the elements of the nominated property have been affected by exposure to natural elements and anthropic activities, consistent with the fate of archaeological sites of a certain age, meaning that above-ground structures are not always present or evident. However, archaeological excavations, field surveys, aerial photography and non-invasive investigations prove that the completeness of most components is good to very good, the vast majority of constituting structures being well-represented above-ground and/ or underground. The intactness of most preserved elements can be assessed as good to very good, showcasing the most important development phases. Notwithstanding the normal degradation processes, many individual sites are impeccably preserved. All nominated components are protected by national law. With few exceptions, their exposure to threats is insignificant.
The nominated component parts of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia preserve a very high degree of authenticity. The great majority of the sites remained free of modern constructions or later modifications. Accordingly, the preserved upstanding remains together with the buried structures prove that the original form and design of the components is greatly unaffected and easy to understand and establish. Above-ground and excavated elements are conserved and generally in a good state of preservation. Most features, however, remain safely underground, targeted archaeological and non-invasive investigations indicating the good preservation of authentic materials and substance. Because almost all of the nominated sites are located in unpopulated, rural areas, the authenticity of their setting is outstanding. The generous panoramas they afford, largely unaltered by later constructions or land use, clearly demonstrate the functioning of the frontier and the strategic use of the terrain by the Romans. The very limited number of reconstructions and modern visualizations in place are treated as vertical buffer zones.
All nominated component parts of Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia are legally protected by national laws concerning the preservation of cultural heritage and the protection of archaeological sites. Romania adopted the World Heritage Convention in 1990 and ratified it through specific legislation for its national implementation in 2000—01. Some sites are designated as protected areas of national importance, while all areas with known and unknown archaeological potential are recorded in the National Archaeological Record (RAN). Immediate recording of archaeological findings in this scientific database is mandatory and all recorded sites benefit from legal protection. Moreover, legal protection of all properties on the National List of Historic Monuments is guaranteed. All components of the nominated property are protected and registered in RAN, and 58.6% are also listed historic monuments. Component parts, their buffer zones and immediate landscapes, either built or natural, are also protected by legislation regarding spatial planning, urbanism and constructions, nature, forest, and water protection, as well as by several global and European Conventions and Directives ratified and adopted by Romania. A new management system approved by the Government was put in place in 2021 following the revision of the national system for the protection, management and monitoring of World Heritage Sites and nominated properties. The system integrates four levels of intervention,
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namely by the Ministry of Culture, County Councils, the National Institute of Heritage and the National Limes Commission, and local community partnerships. The system includes a 5-year Property Management Plan and annual action plans to be prepared by the new UNESCO Organizing Committee. On an international level, management of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia continues to intensively cooperate with partners within the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Cluster fostering the inscription of FRE elements on the WHS List, to preserve and enhance Outstanding Universal Value, and to create a common understanding of it. All identified long-term challenges are the subject of specific fields of action in the Property Management Plan.
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The Roman basin at Germisara Photo Felix Marcu
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The stone enclosure of the Roman fortress at Grădiștea de Munte Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
Jupiter Dolichenus statuettes found at Ilișua by K. Torma during his 1858—1863 excavations photo A. Rădulescu ©National Museum of Transylvanian History
The bronze head of the Roman emperor Caracalla discovered at Porolissum Photo Alexandru Răduleascu © National Museum of Transylvanian History
The archaeological excavations on the enclosure of Grădiștea de Munte Photo Răzvan Mateescu © National Museum of Transylvanian History
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The large auxiliary fort at Porolissum — autumn view Photo Máté Szabó © National Museum of Transylvanian History
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