World Heritage Identification Number: 906
World Heritage since: 1999
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇷🇴 Romania
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains: A Testimony to Ancient Civilization
The Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains, located in Transylvania, Romania, offer a unique glimpse into the rich history and culture of the ancient Dacian civilization that thrived in the region between the 1st centuries BC and AD. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, these fortresses represent an extraordinary fusion of military and religious architectural techniques and concepts from the classical world and the late European Iron Age.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Built in the 1st centuries B.C. and A.D. under Dacian rule, these fortresses show an unusual fusion of military and religious architectural techniques and concepts from the classical world and the late European Iron Age. The six defensive works, the nucleus of the Dacian Kingdom, were conquered by the Romans at the beginning of the 2nd century A.D.; their extensive and well-preserved remains stand in spectacular natural surroundings and give a dramatic picture of a vigorous and innovative civilization.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ii): The Dacian fortresses represent the fusion of techniques and concepts of military architecture from inside and outside the classical world to create a unique style.
Criterion (iii): The Geto-Dacian kingdoms of the late 1st millennium BC attained an exceptionally high cultural and socio-economic level, and this is symbolized by this group of fortresses.
Criterion (iv): The hill-fort and its evolved successor, the oppidum, were characteristic of the Late Iron Age in Europe, and the Dacian fortresses are outstanding examples of this type of defended site.
Encyclopedia Record: Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains
Built in murus dacicus style, the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains, in Romania, were created in the 1st centuries BC and AD as protection against Roman conquest, and played an important role during the Roman–Dacian wars.Additional Site Details
Area: Not available
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 45.62305556 , 23.31194444
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© FDominec, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)