Ratiaria was conquered by the
Dacians of
Burebista and later by the
Romans. There was a gold mine in the city, which was exploited by the
Thracians. The city may have owed its success to the goldsmiths. The earliest involvement of the Romans occurred in 75 BC when
Gaius Scribonius Curio, prefect of
Macedonia, entered this territory to ward off the
Scordisci, the
Dardani and the
Dacians. In 29 BC,
Marcus Licinius Crassus, the grandson of the triumvir, fought the
Triballi here. Ratiaria was a fortified city by this point. It was not until the
principate of
Augustus that the Romans conquered the region, which was organised into a province named
Moesia. In 33/34 AD
Tiberius built the road linking the Danube forts including
Viminacium and Ratiaria. The city was less important than the nearby
Sirmium, Viminacium and
Naissus, but its
legionary fortress for
Legio IV Flavia Felix on the
Danubian Limes together with the fleet of the
Classis Moesica under
Vespasian made it a key station. After the division of Moesia in 86 AD, the city became the capital of
Upper Moesia. but by 285, there were two: –
Dacia Mediterranea with its capital at
Serdica (
Sofia) and
Dacia Ripensis with its capital at
Ratiaria. As the capital of the new province Ratiaria served both as the seat of the military governor (or
dux) and as the military base for the
Roman legion XIII Gemina. Later these two new Dacias along with
Dardania,
Moesia Inferior and
Praevalitana constituted the
Diocese of Dacia. An important bishop's cathedra was established in the town in the 4th century AD. The city became an important Christian centre in the 4th century and several bishops are recorded.
Palladius of Ratiaria, an Arian Christian theologian, lived here in the late 4th century. In 440 or 441 the
Huns sacked Ratiaria. Rebuilding works were done under
Anastasius I, In AD 586 the town was sacked by the
Avars. Archaeological excavations of the site began in 1958 and have continued sporadically since then. == Archaeology ==