Dacian Fortress Costesti

Orăștioara de Sus, Romania, Romania

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The Dacian Fortress of Costești-Cetățuie, located in Orăștioara de Sus, Hunedoara County, Romania, is the oldest and largest of the six UNESCO-listed fortresses in the Orăștie Mountains, built in the 1st century BC under King Burebista using the distinctive murus dacicus technique of interlocked stone walls reinforced with wooden beams.

Positioned at 850 meters on Cetățuia Hill to control access routes to the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa Regia, it featured multiple enclosure walls, four gates, watchtowers, and a civil settlement, serving as a key defensive stronghold during the Roman-Dacian Wars when Trajan's forces captured it in 101 AD before its destruction in 106 AD.

Nearby Costești-Blidaru, constructed later under Decebalus at 750 meters, complemented it with additional fortifications against Roman assaults, both exemplifying advanced Dacian military architecture amid the rugged plateau now popular for hikes and archaeological tourism.