Roman frontier crossing Mocanului Valley

Abstract

Several years ago, within Limes Transalutanus Project (2014-2017), we dealt with several segments of the Roman limes in Teleorman County. Briefly, that meant aerial and terrestrial survey, geologic sampling and geophysics, in most of the cases. The old renditions of the frontier line, as being a rampart without a ditch, were intriguing and unusual, thus they had to be checked in the field, including by test digging. One spot chosen for a complex investigation was located several kilometres south of Roşiorii de Vede, along Mocanului Valley, where the most common traits of a Roman border (a tower, the frontier palisade and segments of the road) were present and relatively well preserved. The test excavation confirmed the fact that the frontier obstacle was made by a large palisade and the defensive ditch was missing. The Roman road has been also sectioned, having the expected width and bulgy shape, being made, however, entirely of clay, as the stone is absent in the plain. The watchtower is rather large, relatively far from the palisade, and had been strongly burned, as well as the palisade. Such objectives, located in a close range, illustrate the typical parts of a late frontier setup.