Greek Citadels on the Black Sea Coast

The area stretching between the Danube Delta and Vama Veche, on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, was once full of Greek settlements and fortresses.

România Internațional, 31.05.2014, 12:38

The area stretching between the Danube Delta and Vama Veche, on what today is Romanian Black Sea Coast was once full of Greek settlements and fortresses. Only a few ruins of the formerly flourishing places can still be seen today. Archaeological research in the area started in 1914, when historian Vasile Parvan began excavations at the former Greek settlement of Istros. Other such settlements were later also investigated. First founded by the Greeks, they were later taken over by the Romans. Many mediaeval settlements were then founded on their sites. Our guest today, archaeologist Sergiu Iosipescu, tells us more:

“The northernmost fortification is Licostomo, in Chilia Veche, of which no trace has been found despite the fact that research has been carried out for a long time. Its existence is recorded in many historical documents starting with the 10th century, including Byzantine documents and seals belonging to the leaders of the settlement. Licostomo was first a Byzantine castle, later it was Genoese fortress and then was under the control of Wallachia and Moldavia. Mircea the Elder was one of the rulers of that settlement. Between 1465 and 1484, it was controlled by Moldavia during the reign of Stephen the Great. Another Black Sea ancient fortress is Halmyris, which was identified by archaeologists near Murighiol. Traces of it were discovered alongside the tombs of a group of Christian martyrs. The Halmyris site is spectacular, but its restoration is not complete. The name of the place comes from its location close to the route to the large lake Halmyris, today known as the Razim-Sinoe lagoon complex. One of the branches of the Danube passed through that lake on its way to the Black Sea near Istros. Halmyris was probably founded by the Greeks before becoming a Roman settlement and used to connect the Danube and the river’s southern branch flowing into the Black Sea. “

Close to Murighiol, on the shore of Lake Razim, there lies Enisala, partly restored overlooking a breathtaking landscape seemingly out of this world. Around the medieval castle in Enisala, a small fortified burg had been erected in the late 14th century by a local prince called Dimitrie; the premises later became part of Wallachia under the rule of Mircea the Elder. Here is archeologist Sergiu Iosipescu again.

“Heading further southward, also on the shore of Lake Razim, one can find the ruins of another beautiful fortress called Arganum on Cape Dolosman. Arganum used to be a Greek settlement just like the ancient seaport of Istros. Further southwards there lie the ruins of other ancient settlements, which unfortunately are now part of the modern cities of Constanta and Mangalia. I am speaking about the ancient Greek settlements of Tomis and Callatis. But they aren’t all the ancient citadels that existed in Dobrogea and we have reasons to believe that between Tomis and Callatis there were two other ancient citadels, Stratonis Portos and Partenopolis. Excavations are underway and we are looking forward to new discoveries.”

Those two cities could have disappeared into the sea as the Romanian Black Sea coast has undergone a series of geological changes, such as transgression and regression, processes that are still going on nowadays. Here is Sergiu Iosipescu again.

“Those citadels were in a better shape back in the 14th and 15th centuries; walls were taller as they were part of the defence system of that time. They also provided building material back in the time of the Ottoman Empire, for buildings such as the castle that was built in Vadu, on the shore of Lake Sinoe. Ruins of the castle, resembling the one in Cetatea Alba, can be seen nowadays. Later during the Russian-Turkish wars in the early 19th century, the citadels in Carahalman, Constanta and Mangalia were systematically destroyed. Those citadels were razed to the ground by the Russian army and a large part of their vestiges vanished with the emergence of modern cities.”

The cities that have survived up to now testify to both Romanian and Ottomancultures back in ancient and medieval times.