The Roman Ruins After conquering Dacia, the Romans started developing the country to suit their needs. They were especially interested in the gold, for which the Dacian mountains were legendary. So they expanded the mines that the Dacians were using for centuries and started some new ones. The new Roman administration and the quite large army needed to ensure the peace in the newly conquered region needed new cities and camps. So the Romans built dozens of them all over Dacia. The most important of them was the capital of now Roman Dacia, Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. The similarity with the name of the former Dacian capital is not an accident. The new town was built a few kilometers from the old one. It was a big town, with all the features of a Roman town. It has streets, aqueducts and temples. The Romans had a long period of flourishing in Dacia, but after less than 200 years they had to abandon the region, due to the weakening of the Empire. Inevitably, the town of Ulpia Traiana fell apart. Nowadays, you can still explore the ruins of this ancient city, on the road, about 20km. from the city of Hateg. The place is now an archeological site, and a small museum shelters some of the beautiful sculpted columns and statues discovered here. The bulk of the sculptures uncovered here now lies in the Museum of History in Bucharest. Back