Romula-Malva
Romula-Malva was an ancient Roman city located in present-day Romania, on the rivers Teslui and Aluta, which served as a vital trade route near the Danube. Originally a Dacian settlement named Malva, meaning "bank," it was renamed Romula following its annexation by the Romans under Emperor Trajan around AD 101–105. The city became significant as the capital of Lower Dacia and was populated primarily by ex-soldiers. Over time, Romula-Malva evolved into a municipium and later attained colonial status under Emperor Septimius Severus.
Despite its prosperity, evidenced by the discovery of a hoard of coins and elaborate constructions, the city faced challenges from invasions, particularly by the Carpi, which led to considerable destruction. Archaeological findings, including a marble bathing establishment and a local senate house, highlight the Romanization of the area, while dedications to various deities indicate a blend of cultural influences. The city's economy thrived on local agriculture, especially viticulture, and it was known for its skilled production of intaglio designs on semiprecious stones. However, ongoing conflicts ultimately resulted in the decline and eventual destruction of Romula-Malva by the time of the Roman withdrawal from Dacia in AD 271.
Subject Terms
Romula-Malva
(Reşca Dobrosloveni)
A Roman city in Dacia (Rumania), on the rivers Teslui and Aluta (Olt), a northern tributary of the Danube that ran closer to the town in antiquity than it does today. The Dacian township Malva, which means `bank,’ was annexed and renamed Romula when Dacia was conquered by Trajan in AD 101–105, and Hadrian, dividing the captured territory into two provinces, probably made the place the capital of Lower Dacia (later Malvensis), of which the Aluta at first formed the eastern boundary. Romula-Malva was settled by ex-soldiers, and became a municipium, subsequently receiving the rank of a Roman colony under Septimius Severus (193–211). The finding of a hoard of 8,000 coins dating from 180 to 222, suggests insecurity, and the city suffered severe damage from invasions by the Carpi (245–47). Its colonial rank was reconfirmed by the emperor Philip (d. 249), but thereafter incursions continuing down to the time of the evacuation of Dacia by Aurelian (271) seem to have destroyed the town altogether.
Two rectangular camps, housing (according to inscriptions) auxiliary cohorts and legionary detachments, have been located; their fortifications date from the first years of the settlement and embody three phases of construction, of which the last, surrounding both the military and civilian quarters, belonged to the reign of Philip; a palatial villa has now been found outside these walls. Excavations have also revealed a luxurious, marble-veneered bathing establishment served by a three-mile-long aqueduct. A large structure containing three halls, a portico and underground heating appears to be the local senate house. The patron goddess of the city was Fortuna, and numerous dedications to Roman gods bears witness to rapid Romanization, but there is also (as a result of recent excavations) epigraphic evidence for a remarkable array of Danubian and eastern deities, reflecting the origins of the colonists and garrison.
Romula-Malva had two cemeteries, one for the Dacian poor and the other of a much more impressive character, containing sarcophagi of wood, lead and stone (including the tomb of a local official whose remains were adorned with a gold wreath and a bronze medallion, and glass-studded shoes). This prosperity came from local agricultural wealth, and especially vines; these products paid for luxury imports, to which earthenware jars from Italy, Gaul and Spain, as well as Greek amphoras containing wines superior to the local variety bear witness. Weaving and spinning were household industries, but the special craft of Romula-Malva was the carving of intaglio designs on semiprecious stones, notably jasper, carnelian, onyx, sardonyx and rock crystal.