Trajan's Wall
Trajan's Wall (Valul lui Traian in Romanian) is a complex of valla in Eastern Europe: in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Contrary to the name and popular belief, the ramparts were not built by Romans during Trajan's reign.
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[edit] Romania
There are three valla in Romania, in south-central Dobruja, extending from the Danube to the Black Sea coast, built most probably by Byzantines between the 10th and the 11th century, during the reign of John I Tzimisces and Basil II.[1]
The oldest and smallest vallum, the little earth wall, is 61 km in length, extending from Cetatea Pătulului on the Danube to Constanţa on the sea coast. Entirely made of earth, it has no defensive constructions built on it, but has a moat on its southern side. This feature clearly shows that is was built by a people living north of it and it was designed to protect them from the south.[2]
The second vallum, the large earth wall, 54 km in length, overlaps the smaller one on some sections. It begins on the Danube, follows the Carasu Valley and ends at Palas, west of Constanţa. Its average height is 3.5 m, and it has moats on both sides. On it are built 63 fortifications: 35 larger (castra), and 28 smaller (castella). The average distance between fortifications is 1 km. Built during John Tzimisces's reign and destroyed by migratory population, it was reconstructed at a later time.
The last vallum to be built, the stone wall, is also made of earth, but has a stone wall on its crest. It has 59 km in length, extending from south of Axiopolis to the Black Sea coast, at a point 75 m south of the little earth wall. The agger is about 1.5 m in height, while the stone wall on top has an average height of 2 m. It has a moat on its northern side and 26 fortifications, the distance between them varying from 1 to 4 km.
The commune Valu lui Traian (formerly Hasancea) is named after the vallum.
[edit] Moldova
The remnants in Moldova comprise earthen walls and palisades. There are two major fragments preserved in Moldova: Upper Trajan's Wall and Southern (or Lower) Trajan's Wall.
The Southern Trajan's Wall in Moldova is thought to be dated by the 3rd century, and built by Antharic[3] and stretches from Romania Buciumeni- Tiganesti-Tapu-Stoicani and in after that another 126 km from the village of Vadul in Kagul Region by the Prut River stretches into Ukraine and ends at Lake Sasyk by Tatarbunar. The Coat of Arms of Cagul uyezd of Bessarabia, Russian Empire, incorporated Trajan's Wall. Some academics like Dorel Bondoc think that it was done by the Romans, because -to be done- it required plenty of knowledge and workforce that barbarians like Athanaric did not have. [4]
The Upper Trajan's Wall is thought to be constructed in 4th century by Greuthungi Goths in order to defend the border against the Huns.[5] It stretches 120 km from Dniester River by Kitkany in Teleneshty Region to Prut River and exetend till Tiganesti Sendreni in Romania.
Fragments of Trajan's Wall are also found by Leova.
[edit] Ukraine
Trajan's Wall is located in Podolia and stretches through the modern districts of Kamenets-Podolskiy, Novaya Ushitsa and Khmelnitsky. A part of the Moldavian Lower Trojan's Wall ends in Ukraine. See also Serpent's Wall.
[edit] See also
- Upper Trajan's Wall
- Southern Trajan's Wall (in Bessarabia)
- Limes Moesiae
- Limes Romanus
- Limes Transalutanus
- Pietroasele
[edit] References
- Rădulescu Adrian, Bitoleanu Ion, Istoria românilor dintre Dunăre şi Mare: Dobrogea, Editura Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică, Bucureşti, 1979
[edit] Notes
- ^ Map of "Valul lui Trajan" near Constanta
- ^ "The protobulgarians on the northern and the western Black Sea coast", p.187, D.Dimitrov, 1987.
- ^ The Goths By Peter Heather page 100
- ^ "Problema Valurilor": Roman Walls in Moldova (in Romanian)
- ^ Peter Heather, The Goths, page 100
