along with the ones from south Danube provinces. In south western Dacia, Roman defensive system in south western Dacia in the second and third Tibiscum and Dierna municipalities were constituted with their own territories centuries. After the Roman conquest during Trajan’s reign the organization of the detached from that of Ulpia Trajana Sarmizegetusa. Also along the urban territories defense system of the province was initiated, the segment of the south west having in south western Dacia there was a mining district that probably gathered settlements a distinct place as its geographic location provided direct relationship with the rest found in the mountain area of with a distinct organisation, dependent on of the empire, with the main supply links, with the army and Italy if necessary. central administrative authority of Dacia Apulensis. Its head office was in Moldova This was made on the main communication routes inside Lederata–Tibiscum, Nouă judging by the discoveries made so far. Dierna–Tibiscum and then the other two along the Danube and Mureş where earth In Banat plain area we may notice at the debut of Commodus reign a transfer camps were built at a distance of about 20 km, such high density suggesting probably from barbaricum of Dacian population ellements from the middle area of the the needs of the army during the Roman conquest. Initially, a legion fort (Berzobis) Danube, thus from a territory situated North of the river, where they inhabitated the and many auxiliary forts were placed on the mentioned alignements. In 118, space alongside other populations. The decision taken by the management of the Legion IIII Flavia Felix was withdrawn south of the Danube and later during the province to bring some tribes having the same origin as the autochtonous populations time of Antoninus Pius several auxiliary units were withdrawn to Moesia Superior at the Dacian border is an indication of the protection intent. These populations and Moesia Inferior. were regarded as a peaceful sedentary group designed to populate a territory partly At a few decades after, during Antoninus Pius, the formation of a defensive arid as it was the Banat Plain, maybe even that of Crişana, for a rigorous control by system on the western border of Dacia was realised based on large stone fortifications the Tisza, but also likely to provide an important area for transhumance of the with 2–3 auxiliary troops in garrison, doubled by camps having one unit. The three cattle from Dacia or in the province. It outlines three inhabitated areas in the plain fortifications were: Tibiscum camp in central Banat, Micia on Mureş in northern of Banat: Banat, Porolissum in the northwest corner of Dacia. This defensive system was 1. Along the Danube in front of Moesia Superior, where civil constructions based mainly on cavalry troops. made of stone and brick, some bearing the stamps of IIII Flavia and VII Claudia The lack of systematic and large scale research for every Roman fortification legions, such as for example those from Pančevo, , Gaj, Bela Crkva, Vrsač facing the second wave. in part, raises many questions of interpretation of the well functioning of this 2. An area which extends from the sands of Deliblata to Mureş with rural system. All the difficulties observed at almost every camp creates the impression of settlements dated in general in the 3rd–4th centuries. Their inventory consists of fine a highly week defense system against possible barbarian attacks. Thus, organised grey hand made Dacian pottery having Latène tradition and imported Roman items. mainly at least after the year 118, the defense system was based on the forts from On Romanian territory the settlements from Timişoara–Cioreni, Timişoara–Freidorf (I) Vărădia, Berzobia on the outside line, then on the inside on the camps from Dierna Dumbrăviţa must be mentioned, adding Liebling and in : Subotica, Becej, (camp supposedly?), Praetorium (Mehadia) and on the military center from Tibiscum, Kovacica, etc. and on Mureş delineation on the great fort from Micia. The defense of the north 3. The area around the old course of Mureş River, with the settlement in a bank of the Danube River was combined with the one on the south bank creating a place called Sălişte from Sânnicolaul Mare. surveillance correspondence of the civil navigation. These settlements found in this area we integrate into the Getae-Dacian The small number of troops, many of them deployed, determined the structures because of common elements found in their organisation and inventory, organisation of the defense system of the province on different principles in this rural settlements housing household linked arrangements (household pits, supply sector, as the western defensive line delineated the hilly sector; it was doubled here pits) and crafts (pottery workshops discovered at Dolovo, Vrsač, Freidorf–Timişoara probably by another defensive element formed by the first ditch and rampant, (level I), Hodoni, Arad–Ceala etc.) Ceramic joint inventory of these settlements which closely follow the line of forts reaching Mureş, comprising here the camps largely suggests the sedentary rural character of this population. Too few clues on from Micia and Bulci, located on the south bank of the river. some crafts such as metalworking appeared in the area in the form of blowing tubes Organizing the defense system was based until 118 on detachments of from iron reducing furnaces, probably (at Dragşina, Biled), or small melting pots Legion IIII Flavia Felix whose stamps are present in both camps from Surducu for bronze (Cioreni, Freidorf). Roman imports are of modest value, they relate Mare, Tibiscum, Aradul Nou, Vărădia (point Chilii) and perhaps Mehadia with the mainly to bronze ornaments (bracelets, fibulae), glass (beads) and in rare cases civil environment of the mines from Bocşa Română, Eftimie Murgu. An important Roman coins. part of the auxiliary troops stationed in the south west of Dacia at the start, later, Over time in Banat plain some treasures have emerged such as those from during Hadrian when most of the wooden forts will be rebuilt using stone, the Biled (2000 pieces), Timişoara (two locations), Palanka, Recaş having a long number of troops is drastically reduced all of them being directed towards the north period of accumulation. of the province or even to other provinces. Thus, in the castrum from Tibiscum the

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