Cercetări arheologice din vicus-ul de la Sutor. Campania 2022

Abstract

The first information concerning the Roman fort at Sutor (Sălaj County) and its civilian settlement were recorded during the second half of the 19th century. Regarding the military unit stationed here, several solutions have been proposed for the reading of the NMO tile stamp through time. The generally accepted version is the one proposed by C. Daicoviciu, who translates the above-mentioned initials as N(umerus) M(aurorum) O(ptatianensium). The first systematic archaeological research carried out within the site was performed back in 2001 and, starting from that moment, has continued with some interruptions until now. However, the archaeological excavations occasioned by the large infrastructure works recently performed in the area have brought new information regarding the chronology of the site and the function that Optatiana had within the province of Dacia Porolissensis. Obviously, the central element of the settlement is represented by the two roads that intersect in the immediate vicinity of the vicus. The presence of the settlement at the intersection of important routes within the province must have contributed decisively to the economic development of the site, the location of the Roman camp at Sutor in that exact position not being accidental. In addition to the main function of overseeing the road-junction and controlling the transit on these two road arteries, the site at Sutor has become an important logistics hub and prosperous economic center, the nature of the structures identified here but also their orientation towards the two roads managing to give the vicus a quasi-urban aspect.

Keywords

• dacia porolissensis
• roman roads
• roman fort sutor (optatiana)
• vicus militaris
• pottery production centre