ARUTELA
or Alutela(?) (Călimăneşti) Romania.
An important military station on the limes Alutanus,
in the S zone of the Carpathian gorge of the Olt, halfway between Castra Traiana and Praetorium (
Tab. Peut.).
The name is probably derived from the name of the
Alutus-Aluta river (Tomaschek).
Excavations have explored all the remains of the camp
not covered by the railroad. The only side of the camp
that is preserved (toward the E), 60 m long, was penetrated by a gate guarded by two square towers. The
gates opening on the N and S sides of the camp had
no towers. The W side was entirely destroyed by the
waters of the Olt. Inside, the wall was supported by buttresses, which also served as supports for the wooden
floor of the patrol path, under which were the stables.
Within the camp were a praetorium, a basilica (?),
dwellings, the via praetoria, the via principalis, and the
via sagularis. Baths excavated near the camp are now
covered by the railroad. The Roman road of Olt, paved
with stone, passed 10 m from the porta praetoria to the
E. Two inscriptions with identical texts inform us that
the camp was constructed in 137-38 by the Sun sagittari
on the order of T. Fl. Constans, proc. Aug. of Dacia
inferior. The soldiers of the Coh. I Hisp. veterana were
also stationed in this camp. Coins of Heliogabalus have
been found, and among the most recent discoveries are
a fragment of an inscription by Trajan and a glass vase
with the name of a certain Menophantos. The finds have
been deposited in the Central Military Museum of Bucarest.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CIL III, 12601, a-b = 13793-94; 12602-3.
D. Tudor, “Castra Daciae inferioris: Bivolari,”
BCMI
35 (1942) 143-49; id.,
Oltenia romană (3d ed., 1968)
266-70, 324-26; id.,
Oraşe (1968) 371; id., “Le camp
romain d'Arutela,”
Hommages à M. Renard (1969) 579-85; id. et al., “Rezultatul primelor două companii de
sătpături arheologice (1967-1968) de la Bivolari-Arutela,”
SMIM 2-3 (1969-70) 8-45.
D. TUDOR
