The discovery was made during systematic excavations carried out on the Capistrano Bastion in the Alba Carolina Fortress, said archaeologist Anca Timofan, who coordinated the research.<\/p>\n
The gate was discovered on the eastern side of the camp, 40 years after the southern gate, Porta principalis dextra<\/em>, was identified and partially restored and reconstructed.<\/p>\n One of the most important elements brought to light is the foundation platform of a tower of the Roman gate. The massive structure was identified at a depth of approximately four meters. The remains provide specialists with important data about the dimensions and layout of the Porta Praetoria.<\/p>\n Using also the information known about the southern gate of the camp, archaeologists can outline the image of the monumental entrance from the east. The gate would have been flanked by two imposing rectangular towers and would have had a median wall and two access arches. The construction was made using the opus quadratum technique, from large, carefully dressed limestone blocks.<\/p>\n The discovery also confirms the way in which Roman structures were reused during the medieval period. According to archaeologists, the foundations of the Porta Praetoria were later incorporated into the Saint George Gate of the medieval fortress. As such, two monumental entrances existed at the same strategic point of the fortification: one Roman and one medieval.<\/p>\n \u201cOur research has confirmed that the foundations of the Roman gate were reused and incorporated into the structure of the medieval Saint George Gate. This overlap is all the more spectacular given that the Roman origin of the medieval gate had already been mentioned in the accounts of foreign travelers from the 17th century,\u201d Anca Timofan said in a post on her Facebook account<\/a>.<\/p>\n The systematic archaeological research is organized by the National Museum of the Union in Alba Iulia, with the support of the Alba County Council, under the coordination of Dr. Anca Timofan. Teodor Muntean is carrying out the photogrammetric documentation, while archaeological topography is being provided by engineer Cosmin Vesa.<\/p>\n