The huge Bronze Age citadel found in Romania is three times the size of Troy
Archaeologists had no idea how huge their project was when they started excavating in Sântana, Romania, almost a decade ago. Only now do they realize that they are dealing with huge remains of the Bronze Age Citadel. More specifically, it is a fortress that was three times larger than the known Troy.
›› The Archaeological Intelligence Network reported that a joint team of Romanian and German archaeologists began excavating the Romanian citadel in 2009. For a while, their work on the excavations was interrupted, but a few years ago they were back together and work intensified. Since then, they have been able to identify the remains of the 3400-year-old citadel, which covers 89 hectares.
3400-year-old citadel covers 89 hectares (Source: ›› Aradon Romania)
The head of the Romanian researchers’ section, Florin Gogâltan, of the Institute of Archeology and Art History of the Romanian Academy in Cluj-Napoca ›› compared the following two archaeological excavations:
“Troy is located on 29 hectares, the Citadel in Santana occupies 89 hectares. The buildings in Troy were made of stone, while the buildings in Santana were made of clay and wood, suggesting that this civilization was more developed and adapted to the building materials at its disposal. We are facing one of the most impressive and largest forts in Europe. ”
For centuries ›› Troy (founded in 3000 BC and abandoned in 500 BC) was considered nothing but a homic myth. During the 19th century, however, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann decided to find this city besieged by the Greeks. He managed to find him in Hisarlik, Turkey.
To date, a Romanian-German team has dug 55 hectares (135 acres) of the “Old Citadel” (CetateaVeche) in the Romanian region of Arad. Gogâltan ›› said: “After these measurements, we found something that scared us – a huge palace 100 meters long and 40 meters wide. We want to continue digging, and if possible we want this citadel to look again as great as it was 3000 years ago. ”
Their work to date suggests that the Old Citadel of Santana was built in the 14th century BC. during the Bronze Age. Modern technologies have been used to map the strength ››. Rüdiger Krause, professor at the Geothe University in Frankfurt and co-head of the excavations ›› said: “The Citadel in Santana is one of the largest fortifications built during that time. Our goal is to find out why it was built and what it was for. ”
Gogâltan ›› announced that work on the excavations of this citadel will continue next year thanks to German archaeologists who helped with the provision of manpower, funds and specialized facilities. Krause also announced ›› that “it is proposed to work here for three years.”
Claudia Boghicevici, Vice-President of the Council of Arad and Mayor of Sântana, ›› spoke to the media at a press conference that the authorities would also support archaeologists in this project. It also discussed future opportunities and stated: ›In addition to local pride, this fortress can serve as a tourist symbol of our region. We want to include this archaeological excavation in the master plan and thus create a tourist pole in Santana.
Source: https: //www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/bronze-age-cita …
