Recent additions, changes and updates to the Alexis site
Alexis Historical Hypotheses
Ostrovu Mare Island
Ostrovu Mare is a Romanian island, about 17 km long, near the left bank of the Danube.
The island is cut into two pieces by a navigation channel, and there is an important hydro-electrical plant there, Iron Gates II, in connection with Serbia, and the island is separated from the Romanian mainland by a long channel.
In the upper part of this island is an ancient site from the Bronze Age, marked as 01 on the map.
Further downstream on the island is yet another ancient site from the Bronze Age, named on this site as "Bronze Age Village" (02).
A few hundred metres from the Bronze Age village 02, to the north, in the middle of the forest, is a Roman ancient fortress, named on this site on another page as "The Castrum from the Forest".
Photo: Google Earth
Also, on Romanian land, over the channel which separates Ostrovu Mare Island from Romanian land, on the Bronze Age village 02, is the important ancient site named on this site as "The Ancient Basilica".
Upstream and downstream from the Ancient Basilica, the Alexis Project has found a large area of Roman artefacts including bricks, stones, pottery, Bronze Age artefacts, since donated to the Oltenia Museum, which together constitute what we have called "The Roman Village".
Thus, within a small area, we may find a lot of Roman data, such as:
- The Castrum from the Forest
- The Ancient Basilica
- The Roman Village
all separated from by a channel of the Danube River.
Of course, during our searches, we have found a lot of artefacts from a variety of ages, including Stone Age, Bronze Age, Middle Ages artefacts. These have all been given to the Oltenia Museum.
The Danube was always an important place to live, on both banks of the river.
The Hypothesis
The hypothesis is:
That the triangle formed by the Castrum, the Basilica, and the Roman village is a single community, spreading across the channel, so that the entire area was on the same, connected piece of earth.
The channel is a relatively new development in the history of the Danube River.
Thus, the hypothesis is that there was an intimate connection between the Castrum, the Basilica, and the Roman Village (at present not on Ostrovu Mare) when the entire main left channel and navigation channel did not exist. This is shown on the modified map here.
Photo: Google Earth
Only an ancient map of the area can solve this problem, and prove or disprove the hypothesis.
It would be preferable to have an accurate Roman map of the area, or some history of the area which specifically shows that the three areas were connected by land, and the only the right, main channel existed. This could be from a map, or possibly a drawing of the area from Roman times.
It may be that the left channel is a relatively modern development, and that a map even from Austrian times may demonstrate the truth of this hypothesis.
Recent additions, changes and updates to the Alexis site
This site is to publicise the history and culture of Romania, and displays information from the Alexis Project Association
Alexis Project Filiasi/Romania
RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
Email: alexis_project@yahoo.com
in a partnership and contract with the Oltenia Museum
Oltenia Museum Craiova/Romania
CF 4417192
Email: muzeulolteniei@yahoo.com
Because Oltenia Museum has the ability to verify the scientific importance of this information and because the specialists of Oltenia Museum have made contributions to this site, the copyrights to it are part of Oltenia Museum property.
If you have any photographs or information which would be useful for this site please contact Don Hitchcock
This page last modified Friday, 29th January, 2010 05:14pm
Webmaster: Don Hitchcock
Hitchcock Lane
Armidale NSW 2350
Australia
Email: don@donsmaps.com
My Archaeology website: http://donsmaps.com/
