Roman Castrum in Pietroasele

The discovery in 1837 of the fabulous Gothic treasure known popularly as "Cloşca cu puii de aur" put the commune of Pietroasele in Buzău County on the map of Romania's famous localities.

The history of the place is more than interesting, having millennial roots. Few people know that Pietroasele was an important military base of the Roman army. Between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, a Roman castrum functioned here to oversee the Geto-Dacian population in northern Muntenia. During the time of Emperor Trajan, it was connected to the castra of Drajna de Sus, Mălăiesti and Târgșorul Vechi, probably constituting the end of the road that started from the Roman castrum of Barboși - Galați.

The first archaeological surveys in the area of the Roman fortification at Pietroasele were carried out in 1866 by Alexandru Odobescu. That's when the first archaeological materials were recovered from the camp at the foot of Istrita Hill. Subsequent research resulted in the discovery of a remarkable number of archaeological remains.

Unfortunately, the Roman castrum is not visible on the surface, being completely covered by the current buildings. At Pietroasele, however, you can see the impressive building with hypocaust.

The building with the hypocaust (balneum) was identified approximately 400 m east of the castrum. It probably included: apodyterium (locker room), sudatorium or laconicum (steam bath), frigidarium (cold water basin), tepidarium (warm water basin) and caldarium (hot water basin).

The rooms, the corridors of the edifice and the basins were floored with white marble tiles, the walls were finished with colored plaster and painted in the fresco technique in an impressive color range, and the windows were closed with stained glass windows made of multi-colored glass plates fixed in lead frames.

The story of the treasure from Pietroasa

Any new discovery arouses the most diverse and intense emotions. This is what happened in the case of the mysterious tresure from Pietroasele, whose story could be the basis of a successful film.

The action begins in the spring of 1837. While they were extracting stone from a quarry in Urgoaia Valley, two simple people from Pietroasa discovered a treasure that included 22 gold objects adorned with jewels. The two decide to capitalize on the precious objects, so in the spring of the following year they sell the treasure to Anastase Tarba Verussi, a local entrepreneur. In exchange, they receive 4,000 piastres and some hollyhocks and cloths for their wives. To make them easier to transport, the larger pieces were broken and flattened with an axe. In this way, most of the precious stones that adorned the gold pieces fell to the ground, ending up in the hands of the village children.

Following the investigation carried out at that time, only 12 pieces could be recovered, with a total weight of 18.7975 kg.

After recovery, the hoard was exhibited in prestigious museums in Paris, London and Vienna. In 1917, it was sent to Moscow, as part of Romania's treasury, from where it returned in 1956. Today you can admire it at the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest.  

If you have arrived in Pietroasele, we recommend you visit the beautiful "Cloșca cu puii de aur" monument, which marks the place where the famous treasure was found. Passing through the village of Pietroasa Mică, you can stop at the Stone Museum, where the limestone sculptures of the craftsman Ion Moaca, famous in the area, are exhibited.

Remember that in Pietroasele, on the first Sunday of September, the Tamaioasa Wine Festival is organized, where you will be welcomed with grapes, must, wine and traditional dishes, but also with music and folk dances. In addition, you will witness demonstrations of ancient wine-making practices.