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These are the ruins of the stone bridge built by the Roman Emperor Constantine. They are very well protected today, although there is at present no public access to this section of the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th October 2010
In the Castrum there is an underground well, deep on the left bank of the Danube River. The image on the left is of the upper part of the well, the water itself is a long way down, as in the right hand photo. More photos of the way down to the water, down a long tunnel, are displayed further down this page.
The well at a depth of 18 metres below the level of the city, holds water from a spring, and is 14 metres outside the defense wall.
Archaeological digs made this year, by Prof. Dr. Arch. Petre Gherghe here, following on the work by other well known archaeologists such as Tudor and Toropu.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th October 2010
This is a general view of the ancient basilica, from the middle of the castrum, where there was discovered a huge man, over 180 cm long, with five other bodies around it, now restored and kept at the Corabia Museum.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th October 2010
Huge pillars of stone and ancient concrete, near the stone walls of the castrum, as a support for the roof of the room of the soldiers. The roof was supported by these pillars and the stone of the outside wall.
In an effort to protect the soldiers from the missiles flung by catapults, these later castrums were built with the soldiers rooms protected by stone walls.
Huge pillars like this have been found by the well known archeologist, Prof. Dr Arch. Petre Gherghe and Arch. Dr Florin Ridiche at the Desa sites, proving that there must be an ancient stone castrum in the Catsravita area, about 10 km south of Desa village, in Dolj County.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th October 2010
As a good example for others, we have here two new books by officials from Corabia town to promote the Sucidava sites, as well as the history of the town itself.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th October 2010
Google Earth image of the site, and documentation.
Photo: Google Earth
This image from Google earth shows that the course of the Danube has shifted over the last two thousand years. The part of the Danube over which the Constantine bridge was built is now just a shallow and narrow backwater, no longer part of the Danube.
Photo: Google Earth
These footings are all that remains of Constantine's bridge next to the modern village of Celei, near Corabia. Constantine the Great was present when the bridge was opened on 5th July 328. This was once the site of the second crossing of the lower Danube, below the Iron Gates.
Near this bridge is the Castle of Sucidava, built to protect the bridge and the lands to the south.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
At the main gate of the ancient Sucidava Castle, there are 3 signs with maps of the ancient castle and some information about the site.
Sucidava is a very old place in this southern part of Oltenia County, used since the stone age, and then by a kind of Dacsa people named "suci", then by Romans and later by others. Sucidava was built in 20 years by the Romans and there have been archaeological digs here since the 17th century.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
Columns and stones rescued from the tombs of Sucidava and displayed against a wall.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
General views of Sucidava, looking in various directions from inside the Castle.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
These are views of the towers and walls of the Castle, as well as the main gate, which opens to the west of the Castle.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
In a small building inside the Castle, protected from rain and sun is a stone age house, one of the many built here.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
General view of the castle.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
The entrance to a secret water source, in the southern part of the Sucidava Roman Castle. There is a 20 metre deep tunnel to the underground water, protected from enemies.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
Digs at Sucidava by archaeology students and specialists from Oltenia Museum. The site has a great deal of pottery fragments.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
This is an important and interesting photo of the house of a Roman military commander with a floor supported on columns, with hot air from a fire running below the floor, heating it from below. The original underfloor heating!
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A very old Christian church, called the Basilica.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
General views of Sucidava.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
At the main gate there is a small museum, with many artefacts and information about the Sucidava site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
Sucidava is home to this grass snake!
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
These photos are taken at the secret water source in the southern part of the Castle, a very deep tunnel covered by bricks to protect the water source from poison and enemies. The entire castle was ready for war because in 4th and 5th century there were many wars in this area and the Roman Empire was in dissolution, in front of a lot of enemies, people migrating from Asia to Europe, as well as the Dacs fighting for freedom against the Roman Empire.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
The Castle was like a triangle with two walls to the east and west, and another made by the left bank of the Danube. The Castle has only two gates, a small one to the east, so narrow that only single people can pass, and another bigger one to the west, the main gate.
This is a big difference between Malva (near Filiaşi) and Sucidava, because Malva has four gates and was a castle for occupation in the second century, whereas Sucidava was a war castle, with only two gates, set up for defence.
These pictures were taken at the main gate of Sucidava, where there was a small dock for Roman ships, coming from the Roman Empire over the Danube river to support the Castle and soldiers there.
As can be seen, the stones are very ancient, with fossils inside, coming here from Bulgaria (Vratza). The Castle has a main gate formed by two parts, one inside, and another in front of it, dropping down in channels in the walls to stop the enemy. On the stone floor at the entrance to the main gate there are tracks of ancient cars which were passing through the gate all the time
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A photo taken from the main gate of Sucidava, looking to the west, where there was a water channel coming from Danube river, to the left of it, where was the small dock.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A surprise for us was that the guide, named Gica Șapcă, was a nephew of Popa Șapcă, one of the most important men of the Romanian revolution in 1848, the Șapcă family living near Sucidava, as can be seen in the picture.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A view of the Danube river taken from the left bank of the Danube at Corabia, near Sucidava
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
