Hoghiz
Location: Braşov county (RAN 41186.01; BV-I-m-A-11280.02)
The Hoghiz fort is the largest auxiliary fort in eastern Dacia. This was a strategic point of great importance, being the crossing point over the Olt, it was located on the left bank of the river, unlike the neighbouring ones from downstream. The recent discovery of the Ungra fort (fig. 2.1, 2.2) is intended to emphasize the strategic importance of this area.
The fortification was built on a high terrace, on the left of the Olt, located near the confluence area of Homoroadele with the Olt, at the point called “La cetate“. The site is located about 2 km west of the village of Hoghiz, next to the village of Ungra, located on the opposite bank of the river.
Several troops have been garrisoned here over time: ala Asturum (CIL III 8074, 1b = IDR III/4, 242 – stamped tegular material), cohors III Gallorum (IDR III/4, 231 = AÉ 1944, 42 – dated–180; CIL III 955 = CIL III 7721 = IDR III/4, 235) and numerus Illyricorum (AÉ 1977, 711, IDR III 4, 243 – stamped tegular material).
The fort is distinguished on the surface as a quadrilateral outlined by traces of turf ramparts. In the course of archaeological excavations (K. Horedt – 1949, D. Protase-1965-1967; 1975-1979, respectively L. Petculescu – 1989) two construction phases have been documented. The wooden and earth fort had a rectangular plan with unspecified dimensions, the palisade being made of two paraments (Protase 1977b, 197). The flattened rampart, with a recorded width of 11 m and variable heights, up to 2 m, included two rows of palisades, being doubled on the outside by a defence ditch with a 4 m opening and a depth of 1 m. Its construction was done in the first years of the 2nd century AD The earthen fort (at least a portion of the enclosure – s.n.) was set on fire according to information obtained from archaeological research carried out by K. Horedt (Horedt 1953, 788). In the central area of the fortification, traces of archaeological excavations that are not covered with earth are visible. We could not perform geophysical measurements across this surface. Traces of archaeological interventions are distinguished on and on the northeastern side, a portion where some massive blocks of stone arranged on two rows can still be observed today.
The stone fort had a roughly rectangular plan with rounded corners, with average dimensions of 220 x 165 m. The enclosure was built of two stone outer walls 1.15 m (exterior) thick and 1.05 m (interior) respectively. The double enclosure was reinforced with transverse walls, about 0.90 m thick, arranged at intervals of 2.80 m. No distinct resistance structures were identified for the corner towers, these being taken over by the regular partitions that reinforced the enclosure. The gates on the south and east sides were excavated, documenting rectangular towers (5.50 x 7), with a gate opening of 5.50 m. Inside were documented walls from the command building (principia) and probably from the praetorium, in the area where K. Horedt would have identified a bath (Horedt et al. 1950, 124).
The connection between the Hoghiz, Brețcu and Drajna camps is based on the construction technique with a double wall and their contemporaneity was argued by D. Protase (1977). Ioana Bogdan-Cătăniciu considered that these were probably built by the legion XI Claudia (Cătăniciu 1981, 10).
As a result of the processing of drone mappings (DTM and hillshade – fig. ) it is noted that the plan of the fort broadly corresponds to the first plan published in 1950 (Horedt et al 1950, 124). The plan published 3 years later was slightly adjusted, having the shape of a rectangle (Horedt 1953, 789, fig. 2 – 1.3). Its dimensions are 220 x 165 m.
The plan resulting from the geophysical surveys (Țentea, Popa 2017) indicates the small irregularities reported in the first excavation campaign, bringing in addition some indicative elements regarding the internal organization of the camp. The buildings are not precisely distinguished, but one can observe the groupings and orientation of the buildings in the praetentura and in the retentura. In latera praetorii there is a large building on the south side, which seems to be a praeotirium. No further details can be distinguished due to extensive excavations carried out in the principia, still not covered with earth (fig. 1.4).
The construction of the fort in stone was inaugurated during the procurator Ti. Claudius Constans, 130-135 (Piso 2000: 235-reinterpretation of the inscription IDR III/4, 230 = ILD 431; AE 2000, 1258). The probability that the inscription in question comes from an honorary monument (Opreanu 2003, 319) is very small due to the considerable size of the inscription.
The civil settlement has left visible traces all around the camp. The most important buildings could be identified recently in the western and northern areas of the camp (Țentea, Popa 2017, 140, 1.4 a.).
Part of the study:
Ovidiu Țentea, Florian Matei-Popescu, Vlad Călina, Frontiera romană din Dacia Inferior. O trecere în revistă și o actualizare. 1., Cercetări Arheologice, Vol. 28.1, pag. 9-90, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.46535/ca.28.1.01
Bibliography
Christescu 1937, 43, 51, 61, 131, 178, 187; K. Horedt et. al., SCIV 1, 1950, 123-124; K. Horedt, MCA 1, 1953, 785-798 (fig. 2, planul fortificaţiei); D. Protase, Sargetia 13, 1977, 191-202; idem, Limes XI, 707-709; Vlădescu 1983, 116, nr. 24; Vlădescu 1986, 81-91; Gudea 1997, 66-67, nr. 43; Gudea 2005, 497-498, nr. VII. B. 9; Marcu 2009, 207-212, nr. 54.
Horedt, K. et al. 1950 – Horedt, K., Ferenczi, Şt., Liu, N., Mirea, V., Rusu, M. 1950: Pătrunderea şi aşezarea slavilor în Transilvania. Studii și Cercetări de Istorie Veche 1, 1: 123-130 – – 1.2
Horedt 1953 – Horedt, K. Cercetările arheologice din regiunea Hoghiz-Ugra și Teiuș. Materiale și cercetrări arheologice 1: 785 – 815.
Țentea, O. și Popa, Al. Castrul și băile romane de la Hoghiz – Rezultatele recente ale prospecțiunilor geofizice, Cercetări Arheologice 24, 2017, 137-143.