STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE FORTIFICATIONS OF THE DACIAN FORTRESS ON CĂŢĂNAŞ HILL (TILIŞCA, SIBIU DISTRICT)

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE STRUCTURE OF THESECOND (EASTERN) TOWER

ANDREI GONCIAR
archaeotek@yahoo.ca
REZUMAT: CONSIDERAŢII STRUCTURALE CU PRIVIRE LA FORTIFICAŢIILE CETĂŢII
DACICE DE PE DEALUL CĂŢĂNAŞ (TILIŞCA, JUDEŢUL SIBIU). CONCLUZII
PRELIMINARE CU PRIVIRE LA STRUCTURA CELUI DE-AL DOILEA TURN
Săpăturile sistematice efectuate în 2006 în zona turnului T2, situat în capătul estic al platoului
superior al aşezării, permit introducerea unor completări în evaluarea structurii arhitecturale a
acestui turn şi în acelaşi timp o serie de concluzii preliminare. Zidurile nord şi vest, săpate parţial,
prezintă o bază a turnului cu cca. 100 cm mai lată decât cea a turnului principal T1. Marea
cantitate de carbune gasită in stratul de arsură depus direct pe stâncă în jurul turnului, sugerează o
componentă structurală importantă de lemn. Caracterul distribuţiei fragmentelor masive de
cărămidă în nivelul de distrugere indică o înălţime superioară de 6 m a componentei de cărămidă a
turnului. La baza zidului nord a fost identificată o structură de piatră ce pare a fi o linie de
fortificaţie avansată. Caracterul depunerilor pe terasa intermediară care mărgineşte laturile nord
şi nord-est ale turnului par să indice că această terasă a fost amenajată recent. O posibilă
interpretare a acestor ultime două elemente ar fi că linia de apărare a laturii nordice a platoului
superior nu este situată la marginea respectivei terase intermediare ci se propteşte direct în turn,
acesta fiind in sine extremitatea vestică a fortificaţiei.

The excavation of the Dacian fortress on Catanas Hill near Tilisca (Sibiu District) has resumed in 2004. The first two seasons have been dedicated to the cleaning of the main gate tower, excavated in 1959-1965 by Prof. Dr. Nicolae Lupu, and the excavation of the immediate surrounding area in order to elaborate a conservation-restoration project. Exploratory excavation has begun only in 2006. One of the objectives of the 2006 season was to expose the structural elements of the second (eastern) tower, identified by N. Lupu without providing more information, and to offer a more detailed view of the fortification system.

Eight trenches resulting from previous excavations were identified in the field:

4, 13, 13a (?), 14, 15 (?), 28, 29 (mentioned by N. Lupu)1 and one more that was not labeled. N. Lupu’s trench 27 could not be identified in the field. Three new trenches have been explored. The object of the first trench (S28) was the cleaning and extension of N. Lupu’s trench 28 in order to establish a continuous N-S profile through the interior of the tower, from the edge of the “intermediate terrace”2 to the edge of the cliff towards Tilisca village. S4 North and S4 South were intended to expose the ruins of the western wall of the tower and its exterior bedrock landscape (Fig. 1). The pillage trench used by the local inhabitants to extract the large carved limestone blocks has also been identified (Fig. 2). This explains the disappearance of the wall, including the stone filler. The fact that the tower is surrounded by steep slopes on three sides also accounts for the rapid erosion processes and the relatively thin fragmented brick layers in comparison with what was excavated at the main gate tower.

The 1959-1965 excavations led by N. Lupu resulted in a series of succinct conclusion regarding the second tower. It is located at the far eastern end of the upper plateau, ca. 200 m from the main gate tower, on a rocky point surrounded on three sides by a steep slopes. On the North side, a man-made “intermediate terrace” has been identified between what was perceived as the upper fortification wall and the tower. A few scarce cut limestone blocks from the walls were found. The outline of the tower has been inferred from the way in which the bedrock was shaped. It was concluded that the second tower was identical to the main gate tower with an exterior width of 10.6 m and an interior of 6.35 m3. The 2006 exploration shed a new light of several details. Nevertheless, the tower structure could be only partially ascertained from the current excavation. It is 11.5 m wide, measured along a North-South line, from the northern cut limestone blocks in situ to the southern step cut in the bedrock, indicating respectively the exterior of the North and South walls. These preliminary measurements show that the eastern tower is slightly larger than the main gate tower (Fig. 2, 6, 7). Only the North wall has some of its initial structure present. Three large carved limestone blocks (dimensions: 77x43x20 cm, 35x 45×24 cm, the third one is fragmented) from the first row of the external stone wall component were found. The interior of the wall was composed of stone filler (emplecton), ca. 135 cm wide in situ, made out of relatively flat blocks of local schist in opus incertus. Between the emplecton and the step carved in the bedrock there is a 75 cm gap. The total thickness of the North wall was therefore ca. 255 cm (Fig. 6, 7). Nothing was left from the West wall except a few rocks from the emplecton and the trench cut in the bedrock that was meant to stabilize the tower foundation. The eastern