Mangalia
With over 44.500
inhabitants, Mangalia is the second biggest city in the region, being
located at 40 km distance from Constanta and 14 km from the Bulgarian
border. Mangalia is a watering and climatic resort, opened all year
long, with a history of more than 2000 years, enjoying a special
climate, similar to the Mediterranean one, with the highest average of
air temperature in the country.
The watering treatment can be taken in any period of the year, combining
the specific marine elements with the existence of sparkling springs,
discovered and used since the Romans’ expansion. Among many interesting
touristic sights, we mention one of the oldest mosque in Romania
(1590), the Archeological Museum which hosts relics found in the area
and also the ruins of the ancient Callatis fortress.
The modern
city of Mangalia lies upon the ruins of the ancient Greek citadel
Callatis, 44 km south of Constanta. The reason for the Greek to settle
down here were due to the climate conditions, due to the relief, to the
possibility of a harbor construction etc. this colony has been populated
with Greeks immigrated from the Megaris centre of Pontic Heracleea and
has been established according to the ancient historian Pseudo – Skymnos
probably at the end of 6th century B.C. Te city of Callatis
has been mentioned under this name later in ancient papers by Ptolemy,
Strabo, Memnon and Ovid. It was only in the 4th century B.C.
that the citadel reaches its remarkable economical, social and political
peak, evidence to all these being the development of monetary workshops,
of specialized handicraft workshop, of several monumental edifices of
sculptural and architectural value. The Hellenic period has been a
tormented on and this situation caused a weakening of the local
possibilities. The Roman and Roman – Byzantine epochs were new important
stages for the evolution of Callatis, the citadel being integrated into
the military, economical and political system first of the Roman and
then of the Roman – Byzantine Empire
The ruins of Callatis
have been noticed since the beginning of the 20th century by
the archeologists: P. Polonic, D.M. Teodorescu, O. Tafrali and Th.
Sauciuc – Saveanu. Archeological researches have set free important
architectonic and sculptural monuments showing different living stages
in the ancient citadel.
The defense wall
surrounded the entire important area of the city, which was only natural
for all commercial and political centers of the antiquity. Callatis had
two sites. The first site has been probably built at the end of the 4th
century and he second has been built in 2nd century a.D. when the Romans
took political and military interest in the Western shore of Pontus
Euxinus. The wall is 370 m long and has been completely set free from
the seashore up to the Constanta – Mangalia highway. From place to place
the wall had defense towers and also two citadel gates. After several
repair works the wall has protected the citadel up to the beginning of
the 7th century a.D. when the urban life of Callatis ceased
to exist.
The harbour, precisely
what was left of it, could be seen at the sea surface even at the
beginning of 20th century. The ruins of the harbour are
nowadays covered by the seawater and can be spotted over an 80 m area.
Because the walls of a
citadel could not surround the entire populated area there has been also
district outside the citadel wall on the Western and Southern part both
during the Roman and the Hellenic period.
The citadel graveyards
are situated at the west side of today’s Mangalia. The first Greek
necropolis dates from the 4th – 2nd century B.C.
and consists of graves that are important for their various rituals that
indicate sometimes a distinct social stratification and hierarchy
according. One of the most important graves is the papyrus grave found
in 1959 and which has been made of big carved limestone blocks covered
with three stone plates. In the soil surrounding this grave four Greek
pots have been found covered with black varnish and palmette ornaments.
There have been found remains of a Greek papyrus. The second necropolis
dates from a later epoch (4th – 5th century a.D.).
The majority of the graves have been built of carved plates or stone
blocks covered with 2-4 stone plates. The tumuli necropolis can be seen
nearby the railroad station Mangalia towards the north, east and west of
the before mentioned necropolis. Between Mangalia and 2 Mai village
there have been also found three big stone graves. The first one, the
so-called Scythian grave, has been identified upon the lake. The second
one has been set free on the southern part of Mangalia and the third on
the west side of 2 Mai village within a knoll that dominates the
surrounding area. These graves may be have belonged to local; chiefs of
some Thraco – Getan or Scythian origin.
Some of these
archeological discoveries can be admired nowadays: the site wall, the
Syrian basilica, the papyrus grave etc many other evidences of Callatis’
antiquity can be seen at the Callatis Museum.
