Histria fortress

Near the river mouths of the Danube, on the shore of Lake Sinoe, you will discover the ruins of the oldest city in Romania - the Greco-Roman city of Histria.

Histria was founded in the middle of the 7th century BC by the Ionian Greeks from the city of Miletus in Asia Minor. Until the Roman conquest of Dobruja, it was the most important Greek colony on the western shore of the Black Sea. The fortress was located in the contact area of three great civilizations: Scythian, Thracian and Ionian, connecting the East to Central Europe via the Danube (ancient Istros).

In 480-475 BC, in Histria, the first monetary issue on Romanian territory takes place, when a silver didrachm is minted with the representation of an eagle on a dolphin and the legend IΣTPI (ISTRI) on the obverse, and two human heads on the reverse side by side and reversed.

Another significant moment in its history is the replacement of the oligarchic regime with the democratic one, in the middle of the 5th century BC, a fact recorded by Aristotle in his well-known work "Politics".

You will be surprised to know that Histria was violently destroyed and burned 20 times during its almost 14 centuries of uninterrupted existence. It came back to life every time like the legendary Phoenix bird.

Called by some historians the "Romanian Pompeii" due to the wealth and variety of the archaeological material discovered, Histria has not yet revealed its entire story. Unique and fascinating, it carries its secret messages into the future like a true time capsule.

The first Roman fortification of Histria was built in the 2nd century AD.

In the middle of the 3rd century AD Histria is badly damaged by an attack by the Goths who came by sea. The fortification was rebuilt during the time of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337).

In the 6th century AD, during the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-565), the city experienced a new period of prosperity. Now the premises are being restored and the episcopal basilica and the basilica in the south of the fortress are being built.

In the first half of the 7th century AD the fortress is destroyed by the successive invasions of migrants and is abandoned by the last inhabitants in the middle of the 7th century AD.

During the reigns of the emperors Diocletian and Constantine the Great, the fortress enclosure had a more complex defense system, with seven defense towers on the west side and three corner towers (SE, NW and NE). The eastern side (towards the sea) was not provided with defense towers. Through the Great Gate, 3.30 m wide, and through the southwestern one, 2.40 m wide, carriages for the transport of goods could also enter the fortress. The Great Gate was defended by four rectangular towers. In front of the late Roman fortification (4th-7th centuries AD), to the west, there were three waves of earth that completed the defense of the fortress.

The harbor was placed in the southern area of the fortress to protect the ships from the wind from the northeast. In the Roman era, ships were guided with the help of a lighthouse that appears on Roman coins issued in Histria.

Visit the Histria Fortress Museum to get a more complete picture of the ancient city and its surroundings! The exhibitions are organized chronologically, including interesting pieces, some particularly beautiful, even unique.

Right at the entrance to the museum, you will discover a unique marble relief with the representation of the eight most important Greek deities, and at its two ends a representation of Helios (the Sun).

An exceptional piece is the list of leaders of the Histrian Gerusia (Council of Elders) from 138 AD. In addition to the 157 names, the inscription includes the decree honoring the incumbent, Artemidoros of Herodoros, who donated a sum of money to the association for the annual celebration of the "feast of roses" (Rosalia).