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Hinova Roman Castrum
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Hinova is a small 4th Century Roman fortress on a hill near Hinova, about 25 km east of Drobeta Turnu Severin on the left bank of the Danube.
The Hinova Roman Castrum is near the small village of Hinova.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
During the 4th to 6th Centuries, the Romans built these fortresses on the left bank of the Danube about every 20 to 30 kilometres as a defense against the Dacs and other enemies.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
Text below from: http://mek.oszk.hu/03400/03407/html/32.html
In 409, the Huns came into open conflict with the Eastern Roman empire. Uldin's armies, made up of Huns and Skirs, laid siege to the Moesian stronghold of Castra Martis. Relations remained hostile between the Huns and the Eastern Roman empire until the very end — that is, until the death of Attila and his son Dengizik. Although in 410 the Huns withdrew to their quarters north of the Lower Danube, in the new state of war they could not tolerate the threatening proximity of Roman outposts along the left bank of the Danube; they annihilated Sucidava and the fortress at Hinova around 410–411.
A huge amount of golden artefacts were found here.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
General view of the Hinova Roman Castrum, looking towards the south and the Danube River.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
Part of the wall, inside the Castrum.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
Bracelets of the type found in Hinova and Drobeta Castrums. Many are decorated with serpent patterns.
Photo: http://www.ccm.ro/muzeu/podoabe_htm/bracelets.htm#_ftnref22
In September 2007 Dr Gheorghe revisited Hinova with the expert from the Oltenia Museum, Dr Dorel Bondoc, who was able to fill in a lot of details about the site.
Hinova was a small fortress for only thirty to forty soldiers, constructed in the 4th Century as a fortress to guard the left bank of the Danube River. Such fortresses were built every 20 to 25 km along the Danube. For example starting from Drobeta, to the east are fortresses at Hinova, Izvorul Frumos, Izvoare etc.
This Lest or weight for net-fishing found at Hinova shows that fishing was important for the inhabitants, even in ancient times.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th September 2007
Some parts of stone columns found at Hinova, even though it would be expected that the fortress would be too small for a temple or church such as would require this sort of structure.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th September 2007
Here Dr Dorel Bondoc searches the fortress. As can be seen, there was a huge stone wall around the fortress, and another smaller one inside that, with a distance of two to three metres between them, in which narrow space the soldiers lived. The middle yard of the fortress was empty, so that when the enemy fired large stones with catapults from outside the castrum, the missiles landed in the empty yard, missing the soldiers just behind the huge wall, and between the two walls.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th September 2007
This kind of wall structure, with bricks and stones mixed almost like a cake, is a well known method known as Mixtum Compositum to make the walls strong and resistant to attack.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th September 2007
Dr Gheorghe believes that this is a stone ornament called a Friza, a strange piece to find here in such a small fortress, but together with the stone columns, may indicate that even so there was a temple or church constructed here. It may also simply mean that these out of place pieces were salvaged from another building or area when the castrum was built, in order to economise on building materials.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th September 2007
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Alexis Project Filiasi/Romania
RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
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